Coach's kid practices every day,
after school, into the long tail
of twilight. He dribbles twenty minutes
help add up to a great image. Patty, age 14
with his left hand, twenty with
his right; he shoots a hundred
layups, fifty on each side; he
taps the ball against the backboard
till his wrist and fingers
burn; he shoots fouls until
he's dropped twenty in a row
member of editorial staff
barely rustling the net.
He works the corners,
moves around the key: first
a head fake then the soft launch
of the one handed jump; then a quick
dribble left, back right, a swift
shimmy of his shoulders, then up
for the arc toward the hoop.
He feels good. The sweat
whispers, "Push it,"
(personification) pushing the kid even further,
though he's already tired enough." Brooke, age 12
"The personification of his calves show how each part
of his body works as hard as it can to push him forward." Patty, age 14
his calves throb the cheers
he's working toward, his breathing
because of all his hard work. I love the phrase! Brooke, age 12
is as calm as sleep. He steadies
his eye, fixes this wild dream
like a still photograph.
"This simile comparing his dream to a still photograph
embodies the effort coach's kid has put into his years of practice."