Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Faith

It’s humbling to realize that
More than half the time I
Don’t know what I did

That is to say, I know I
Held the blade and
Not my breath
Kept the tension in my legs and
Not my arm

But in between “allez” and “halt” occurs
A sequence of events I
Can’t unpack

Evidently
I did good
The light came on the
Hand flashed up 
Awarding me the touch

I’m just saying (full disclosure)
What happened in between is 
Something of a mystery

I can live with that

In my dreams when
I take flight 
The most important thing is not to 
Wonder how
Lest doubt rescind my wings



Friday, July 19, 2019

Broken Time

After warming up
Awaiting referees

Pool sheet being signed
A lull before the storm

Quarter finals done
The long, fraught wait before 
Ascending to the elevated strip

And briefer still:
Staring at the weight and willing it to rise
Pausing while my opponent adjusts her hair
Idling ‘round the podium, awaiting bling
(and craving lunch)

Fragmented time adrift from work or home or news
A temporal dimension safe from everyday demands 

Interstitial moments that define the competition
Just as much as fighting for the touch


Sunday, March 10, 2019

Trade-off

Sleet patters on the dormant yard
On the sill cats pose with slitted eyes
Contemplating domesticity
Comparing sheets and laps
and radiator's warmth
to wildness and freedom
to hunt and stalk and pounce

And turn away
Smug in the rightness of their choice