The Anonymous Athlete Poem by Susan Lacovara

My face, not frontpage newsworthy,
Yet, here, beneath the golden orange flame
With flickering fingers pointed upwards
In the proverbial PEACE sign
I have come, to join in...
My name, unfamiliar...
My country, far from where you call home
My years of sacrificial determination
accumulating before the masses
That I might make proud
Those who long stood behind my dream

Not all will rise to the glory of gold
Some will stumble, crumble, tumble
Down mountainsides made for giants
Or feel the ice give way, unmercifully
'neath their silver skates...
And the wretching pain of falling short
Only complicated more so
Hearing the anthem of another country played
Pulling at the heartstrings
Of hope, dashed...

But, alas, I have made strides worthwhile
To come, representative of peaceful gather
And stand unified in the spirit of fair play
Where politics do not polarize men
And competition is set to music
I, the anonymous athlete
Participate in pride, for all my practice
And give my all, that I might stand before the world
And show I tried...

I might be last to cross the line,
But I willfully and thunderously finish...
And capture the hearts of those
Who shouted to welcome me home...
It is enough to hear the applause
Of strangers, who now know my name...
Even if for just this fleeting moment
I came in PEACE, I came with Acceptance,
I came with Understanding, I came with Strength...
And though, the anonymous athlete,
These triumphs, these merits, these accolades
Shall remain golden, instilled, burning bright
Within my Olympian heart...
Long after the flame' s been extinguished