Ralph - You Are Behind Schedule

Before the marathon began,

I walked First Avenue,

Aware 100,000 feet

Would soon come pounding through.

 

The do-not-cross tape waited

And the police were getting set

To control the hordes of cheering fans

Who hadn’t gathered yet.

 

Since some apartments face the street,

Their balconies supply

A place for friends to stand and shout

As runners hurry by.

 

From one such place, I saw a sign

To jokingly remind

A guy named Ralph, despite his plans,

He’s lumbering behind.

 

I wish I could have witnessed Ralph

As, passing, he took note,

Of the presence of his buddies

And the message that they wrote.

 

(The title is what the sign actually said.)