She is a blind runner who runs mostly on a treadmill. She occasionally does races with her husband Michael Close. He is the editor of the Essex Running Club newsletter of New Jersey. John and I met Donna, Michael and their daughter Lisa at the Falmouth Road Race in Cape Cod, Mass. Donna has graciously accepted our invitation to be our first guest author on our new web site.

Tom Kelly, President of the Essex Running Club said of her poetry, "Donna somehow manages to capture in words what most of us often see in our minds eye but can't quite describe. She sees things and senses things differently about running and shares those verbal sights with us in a way that enriches our running.

Tough It Out

Teach me on these roads,
To run evenly with you.
Let's both tough it out.
Climbing hills towards much friendship.
Which may well last a lifetime.

We welcome Donna and will publish more of her poems from time to time.

Submitted by: Ann Singer