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
