Trying Desperately Not to Fall

At age one,
a girl picks up a ball.
Dribbling it around the room,
she stumbles, trying not to fall.

 It is noticed right away
that she has natural ability,
weaving between her older brothers
with such fluidity.

 At age four she joins her first teams,
standing out from her peers.
Taking charge of the sport,
athleticism beyond her years.

 Others notice her talent now,
they see what a star she can be.
And all the little girl wants,
is to be that somebody.
At age eight
she plays a grade ahead.
Older girls and stronger boys,
but still, she has not fled.

She lights up the scoreboard,
she travels far away.
Playing against the very best,
every single day.

Then she is fourteen,
and taking shape as a star.
Those dreams she had as a kid,
no longer seemed so far.

She's captain on the court,
known throughout the city,
but she begins to feel the pressure
of becoming a legacy.

It used to be just for her,
she wanted to be the best.
But now everyone knows she's good
and she can't be anything less.

So she picks up a different ball,
hoping to lose the world's expectation.
No one understands what she's doing,
and there is infatuation.

She keeps her head low,
improving each day.
And with no one watching
all she has to do is play.

But she is naturally gifted,
so she excels quickly with the sport,
and once again there are the same expectations,
just on a different court.

She is now nineteen.
She picks up that same ball.
And with the pressure of the world on her shoulders,
she stumbles, trying desperately not to fall.