Day 650: Swr 11- revised

Some mornings I dream of being steel
Stainless
Whole
But I have fractures at every seam
Cracks
Alone, I am incapable of being whole it seems
But there is a surprise so miraculous in this team
Of the ability to build broken bodies into something like success
Something like a promise
A block S on our chest
A target we've painted for ourselves in tangibles like tries
Like victories in the darkness nights
To defeats in the brightest mornings
We are sorcerers of the night sky
Painting prophecy in our stride

Knowing not why
Other than for the blood and tears of the family at your side
And the joy in this game
Of bone dust
And painkillers
Of braces
And ice baths
Of concussions
And overtimes
We know
This is the only home where heroes are born from themselves
Where the plain can be built into titans
From earth
And blood
We wonder
How far we can travel til we crumble
How fast til we fracture
How strong til we quake at every corner
Only remembering the ruble of past victories and defeats in the lining of our ribcages

Do not be mistaken
We are not what we seem
We are not yesterday’s hope for tomorrow
We can defy expectations
Even when we falter
When we fail
Implode
Crumble
Turn dust
Even when we bleed

So tomorrow
When the body wants to break
When every part of you dreams of crumbling
Of folding yourself into something less
Something small
And easy
Remember the letters we stitched onto our chests
The promises we made in every step
Remember the family at your side
Remember why
All the early mornings and late nights
The moments when you wanted to quit
Thought you couldn’t do it
And the times
The girl standing next to you
Showed you how to piece yourself back together
To make each part of you stronger for breaking
Showed you how to work
Harder
Fight
Harder
Than you ever imagined
Surprised you with how she could make you feel like more of a miracle than you ever dreamed


Remember all the whys and whens
For her
Every single one of them
That every minute
And every step
Was a choice
One that we made together
Promising not to leave any one behind
That is why
And at the end of the day
We are more than the tries and more than the games
We are ever single drop of sweat
Every step
Every promise
Every hope and dream
Whether we realize yet
That being together
Staying together
Through it all
Makes all the other dreams, wishes and successes crumble to ash in comparison