Tuesday, April 12, 2022

#TankaTuesday Weekly Poetry Challenge #SpecificForm #TankaProse @SyllabicPoetry @ColleenChesebro #trackandfield #athletes #perseverance #race #races


Hello, beautiful readers! Today's #TankaTuesday Weekly Poetry Challenge is all about the Tanka prose. This format includes a prose paragraph and a Tanka poem with the syllabic pattern of 5-7-5-7-7. You can learn more about it here.

I decided to write about my son's athleticism. He has been playing sports since he was three years old. He started with peewee soccer and t-ball. He played soccer for three years and baseball for nine years before moving on to flag football, which he played for six years. This year, he joined his school's track team and will begin tackle football in a few weeks. He was born to play sports. In fact, 23-and-Me says he has the muscle composition of elite athletes (a fact he's quite proud of...lol!). Recently, he pulled his groin in an event, but that isn't keeping him from pushing himself to be his best. So, this poem is for him.

(My son is in the center on the right, wearing black and white.)


I stretch my fingers across the track, placing them perfectly along the starting line. My spikes wait restlessly, eager to tear up the synthetic rubber digging into my knee. The official calls for us to ready ourselves. Every muscle is taut; electrical impulses race through my veins waiting to explode. The blast from the gun ricochets off the stands, but it's already a distant memory because my body and mind are hyper focused on the lane in front of me. They have one singular desire - cross the winning line first.

adrenaline rush

carries me past opponents

until my groin pulls

I won't give up - I'll prevail

perseverance breeds winners


Have you ever played sports? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below.

To join us in the fun, check out Colleen Chesebro's page here.

26 comments:

  1. I love this, Yvette! I can feel his love of sports in your words and what a great picture:) I am very unathletic but I enjoy watching sports.xo

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    1. Thanks, Denise! My parents insisted I play every sport at least one season when I was a child so that I was exposed to them all. At the end, I realized my favorite "sport" was that of a spectator. Lol! I absolutely LOVE watching my son on the field, whether it's soccer, baseball, football, or track. I am his #1 fan, for sure! :-)

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  2. Thank you, Colleen! I appreciate the compliment. :-)

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  3. My daughter played softball for many years--both Little League and high school. She enjoyed the camaraderie and I enjoyed it with both the other parents and the girls. You really relayed the tension of the race well.

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    1. Thanks, Kerfe! There is definitely a lot of tension, for both players and their parents (lol). I always leave a game feeling as if I burned plenty of energy cheering for the team. Thanks for stopping by today and sharing your experience. :-)

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  4. Awww, this is so awesome, Yvette. I love that you focused on your son's athletic abilities for this poem.

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    1. Thanks, Jan! I appreciate you stopping by and sharing your thoughts. :-)

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  5. A wonderful tribute to your son's talent and his determination, Yvette. In this day and age of screens and sedentary lifestyles, it's encouraging to see someone who's dedicated to a healthy lifestyle. Well done.

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    1. Thanks, Mark! He still gets plenty of screen time (lol), but he also maintains As and Bs in advanced classes while playing sports, so he's learned how to balance his time. :-)

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  6. Loved it, Yvette. Great tribute to your son.

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  7. I enjoyed the poem about an athlete and the drive for competition!

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    1. Thanks, Linnea! I appreciate you sharing that. :-)

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  8. Oh, what loveliness.
    Firstly, let me pick up on the message I left you on Colleen's page. So, I found the one with the correct link. Forget that message. I was just going through the list and responded right away. No worries.
    Returning to this one: You are lucky to have such an athlete in your household. Bet he is a good eater as well. He need to be.
    all the best to your young man in all his pursuits. I root for all young men as I have two of my own.

    My oldest son is a surfer. My second is a musician. Me? an introvert. A writer who walks 10,000 speps as often as the bones take me out. So if walking is a sport...
    I enjoy watching a good soccer game. what's your sport?

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    1. I walk around the track while my son is at his practices. I don't play sports anymore, but when I did, my favorite was volleyball. I now enjoy swimming in the ocean but not for sport. And I enjoy walking and doing circuit training for exercise. And you are correct, Selma! My son eats me out of my house. Lol! Luckily, everything he eats turns into muscle. Thanks for the conversation today! :-)

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  9. How wonderful for your son. I wasn't into sports much, but I did bowl for awhile, and just this year started bowling again. I'm built for walking and maybe I'll take an exercise class later in the year when I get my free membership. :)

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    1. My dad put my sister and me on a bowling league when I was in middle school. We loved it. We take our kids bowling every now and then, and they always have a good time, but my son isn't interested in joining the bowling team. He needs to move more. I am more built for walking as well. My knees don't handle impact very well, probably from those years in which I played volleyball and soccer. Oh, well! Thanks for conversing with me today, Jules. :-)

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    2. Our leauge is almost finished for the season. We are skipping summer just to not be tied down. We have a great senior group. We only pay when we show up - it isn't a sanctioned leauge. But it is enough to get out and have fun. Though some of the folks take it more seriously than others. I'm of the 'have fun' group' :)

      All the best with your walking - I've got my 10,000 steps in for the day :)

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  10. Great tanka prose, Yvette. You captured the adrenaline rush of the starting line and the race perfectly. Your son sounds like a wonderful athlete, but ouch. And yet he persevered. Thanks for sharing and Happy Writing!

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    1. Thanks, Diana! His athletic trainer iced the muscles and stretched him out for the next several practices. He's doing much better now. He loves playing sports, and I love watching him, so it's a win-win. :-)

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  11. I can feel the emotional connection to the track and race Yvette and what an inspiration.. groin injuries are so painful.. good luck with his athletics.. lovely tanka prose. xx

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    1. Thank you, Sally! Luckily, it was a minor groin pull. A couple of days of ice and stretching dulled the pain. He has one more track meet of the season today and then it's all about the football life. lol! :-)

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  12. It's so lovely to read about your love for him and his impressive growth as an athlete, Yvette! Thanks for sharing with us!

    Sincerely,
    David [ben Alexander]

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    1. He is my everything, and I am honored to have a part in his growth into an incredible young man, scholar student, and athlete. Thanks for stopping by, David. I appreciate your comment. :-)

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  13. Wonderful, Yvette! I've three sons, and always loved going to their games (soccer, football, lacrosse, rugby, baseball). You've captured the energy and excitement beautifully! 🤗

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    1. Thank you, Gwen! I'm happy you were able to connect with that energy. :-)

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I love comments, so please share your thoughts with me! :-)