The Race

The warmup

Everythings technique

The slam of the seat 

The rush of the wheels 

The unity of the blades

Screaming, cheering

from every angle, even in your own mind

The race

Anxiety trickling in the blood stream

As hearts thump faster and faster and faster

One voice above the rest,

"ATTENTION... ROW!"

Silence of heartbeats interrupted by chopping of the water

blades sharply drowning in controlled chaos

repitition with force and passion

bursts of energy turned determination

every cell screams stop,

you keep pushing and pulling

you want to break through the wall

you want to demolish it with willpower

but you are not alone.

side by side others push with you 

to defeat their inner wall 

to reach the other end of the line

the finish line

the numbness, I close my eyes, it's

the end of it all.

The Medal

Second place yet proud.

Even with tears escaping eyes

Even with trembling hands

Proud of the moment

Proud of the others

But mostly,

Proud of myself.