Cheshire Smile

 
Cheshire Smile

One foot in front of the other.
The sound of my footfalls
Echo in the dark.
Ahead of me,
A giant glass bowl.

One foot in front of the other
My heart beats in my ears
and my breath startles me
The bowl nears.
Full of folded pieces of fate

One foot in front of the other
I open and close my hands
and shake them
Preparing for what is to come
The bowl stands in front of me
Defiantly.

I reach my hand in
Grab a folded piece of paper
And read it as a note passed in class
Porter,
It reads.

My heart sinks as I reach in to grab
Another note to myself
It too,
Reads Porter

Twenty-two more times I reach
Twenty-two more times I read my own name
The roster of this year’s Quarter Quell
Reaped from the pool of victors

The war I’d won, so many times.
and had finally become whole.
Then, the pen touches the page
As a quill at my wrists
And I bleed
my own Rorschach Test

The fight still rages within
Porter vs Porter
Self, versus self

Because, let's face it, nobody wins The Games

I just smile and wave.