The sweat on our backs glowed red
as it reflected the stoplight behind us.
Every exhalation sent up steam
and a pant, the only sound aside from
sneakers on asphalt. We moved along,
gesturing when to speed up or move
for cars.

To my left, the sun is starting to rise.

Brett Cortelletti is a Junior at Malone University majoring in English Language Arts. This is his first published work. He has served as an editor for The Quaker, Malone’s online literary journal. In addition to being a reader and a writer, he is also a competitive long-distance runner.

Editors’ Note: Congratulations, Brett! We’re proud to feature your work and share the moment with you.