Picking Teams for Kickball
Madelyn Smith
Standing back to the baseball fence
at recess, the gym class heroes:
hockey players, the class clowns
already nominated
captains.
One by one they pick the fastest,
desirable players, survival
of the fittest. Red faces,
awkward smiles, jittery
movement, swaying bodies
waiting.
Until there is just one.
Their life is harder than the rest.
It’s awful how 7 year olds decide
a person's worth
just by how far they can
kick a ball.
I was never the last to be picked.
Unfortunately one of the first,
due to little crushes.
So I was safe
distanced,
on the other side of the field.
The division felt so wrong,
my throat would swell up,
I wouldn’t even want to talk to anyone.
I’d just count down the seconds
until gym class was over.
Author's Note: I love writing, it helps me learn what I’m feeling and understand myself. I truly think anyone can write anything they want to.