Team Effort Poem by Susan Lacovara

I was handed the ball, to throw,
Or run with it...
I looked for the '0pen Man'
Someone to grab hold
And race forward, the length of the field
Darting through the defensive line
Escaping the drag down collapse
Triumph in the end zone
Score...And celebrate

I thought I knew the mapped out plans
Studied long, the 'Play Book'
Knew all the opponent's tactics
And felt I had the team to beat

But as the game wore on
I wore down
Intercepted, over and over
Fumbled, stepped off sides
Out of bounds...
Fell to my knees just shy of the end zone

There was no applause from the crowd
No high fives given in exaltation
Instead
I returned to the locker room of lonely
And hung my head into my hands
Had I let the team down
Or had it just been someone else's time
To shine, to win, to walk away with the prize