The Fear Of Excellence Poem by Ellowyne Forester

Countless times failure has seduced me and brought me
to my knees, quivering and overcome with inhuman exhaustion.
My shallow breathing has halted me in my tracks, flashing
multicolored lights behind my eyes and a pulsing drum in my head.
Weakness lingered inside of me and strangled me until I believed
that all hell had at last broken loose.
Tears swam into view and clouded the road to where I longed to go,
blurred the world before spilling into a clear salty pool below me.
In the end I always
found myself looking into the glistening dilated pupils of my inner demon of utmost fear who feigned bravery anytime I was cradled in the arms of trust.
As my burning feet met the intimidating platform, four inches wide,
it happened all
over
again,
except for this time
I straightened my knocking knees,
steadied my asthmatic breathing,
strengthened my weak self,
dried my eyes
and
I went for it.

~Ellowyne Forester, age 12