Kristine Joy, Writer

well sport, farewell,

after thirty two years and you

exist to me no more

symmetrical in your green coat.

you have been calming

as a river

and foiling

like a missing puzzle piece.

what will i do

without you

my social circle

my hamster wheel

my confidence crib

what lies ahead

to fill the void

the empty

feeling within me

will it be another sport

or perhaps not a sport at all

but rather books

or writing

or a new calling.

but it won’t be the same

you cannot be replaced

you, forever now

my long lost lover.

Afterword: This was written for a writing class with the prompt being to emulate a piece by Lucille Clifton. I wrote in first person and present tense about having lost the sport of tennis in my life due to injury. Per instruction, I included at least one enjambment.

P.S. Three years and two cortisone shots later, I am playing tennis again!