She Was Not Delicate
She was not delicate,
she was an athlete,
poised, confident,
yet withdrawn.
She had competed,
pushed herself to the
edge of her limits,
overcame the long,
dull, training sessions,
and finished her race.
Now she stood with her
team mates, her adversaries,
watching the sports therapist
knead their muscles, ease
their tension, reward their
success for they had all
succeeded. She pulled her
hat down tightly over
her head, and watched,
edging slowly closer.
Finally, she committed
herself to the inevitable
and took her place. It was
a simple occipital release
technique, and it had dislodged
the hat from every head.
She pulled her hat tighter,
and slowly relaxed.
The muscles were eased,
the tension allowed to
drain. Then – it happened!
The hat slipped, falling
to the ground. She made no
attempt to retrieve it,
made no attempt to cover
the emblem of her cancer.
When her post event massage was
over, the therapist picked up
her hat and handed it to her.
She did not put it back on.
She was beautiful, in the delicate
innocence of childhood.
She was an athlete.
John G. Lawless
7/2/2014
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