GYMNASTICS

two days ago i saw
a gymnast

do a frontflip onto a balance beam
a jump up in the air thing
and came down in a split
then bounced back up
james brown style
tip-toed spinny thing
like a badass ballerina
strutted to the edge
stopped spun spun again
threw her arms up
smiled smiled smiled
stopped smiling
focused
took off sprinting
threw herself into
cartwheel then into
blackflip then into
i don’t even know what
off the balance beam
up in the air
twisting like a gold coin
flicked by God’s thumb
landing like she aint
do nothing but step
off a damn curb

and it was perfect
to me

but they ain’t score it
like that

and yesterday
i saw my mother
sitting on her bed
massaging her calves
soaking her feet
wincing wincing wincing
and then she noticed me
looking and

smiled smiled smiled