Monday, September 5, 2022

Provisional

The shoulder tweaks, 
Triggering the drill: 
Roll & stretch & soak & rest 
Pamper ‘til its wheedled to perform 

Only to find the instability has leapt 
Like checkers, over back and hip to 
Settle in the knee 

Fencing at this age is like a game of dominos 
Or like applying plastic film--one sly burp of air 
Always remains 
No matter the massage 
Squidging to another spot 
Never truly 
Gone 

 Knowing this migration 
 Always in the back of mind a 
 Modicum of doubt 

That tweak…a momentary pinge or 
Foreshadow of a systematic fail? 
One bad night or 
The first step In yet another years-long slog of rehabilitation? 

For all my decades this is what I’ve learned 
We’re never really well 
Or cured 
Or permanently fixed 

The best we can attain is “functional for now” 
Probationary health 

And so my current goal: 
To redefine heroic 
And cultivate a reservoir of 
Kindness to myself 

There's ample room for fellowship 
Perhaps you'd like to join the quest?