Mckayla the Magnificent

The runway runs into her trained eyes like a roadway that rushes red into the dreams of her electrified soul, she's so pretty in her disciplined perfection a young body that knows years of rigor and ritual with a mind measured for acrobatic ambition, she's run this gauntlet so many times before but the danger and thrill is somehow new, her hands and feet are stained with bone chalk memories of fingers, toes, ankles and wrists twisted, torn and bent in pursuit of excellence, her ears close to the crowd she is in her own arena at this moment no judges, no spectators, no competitors just the trail to olympic truth and that ancient apparatus, the vault, the one she loves and fears, vulnerable in her scarlet athletic elegance Team, God and Country are the drumbeats of her heart right now, nerves of gold and breaths of bravery fuel her focused desire to be the very best, she draws a line on the mat with her foot everyone knows the score and everyone knows what the dare is, the sprint begins with a wildcat spirit total commitment, no blinks, no doubts, no stopping this star girl impeccable thrust to the floor backflip to the vault for a stellar catapult hands on the block in harmony producing a body torque of tight spring propulsion and she's up like an arrow to the lights arms X'd over her breast head high to the heavens spinning upside down with sweet finesse an audience in awe of her abeyance, she lands like a landmark lovely and undeniable in grace no stumble, no stutter, only stupendous balance feet firm, legs straight and back curved with class, she throws her arms back as an angel appeased in glory - J.A.B. In the 2012 Olympic Games in London McKayla Maroney executed the most beautiful and perfect vault jump in the history of gymnastics, guaranteeing the U.S. women a gold medal victory. This poem is dedicated to her immaculate beauty...Justin A. Bordner