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 a poem
By April Gerwatoski

Dear Jerry,
I am a 13 year old girl who plays guard in a junior basketball team at my school. This is the first year I've played but I made it to the A team as a guard which is really exciting. This year we won zone championship but since it is junior we cant go no farther. Anyway I wrote a poem about a game, I mean this didn't really happen but something similar did.
My heart was filled with hope. 
The ball is weaving through my legs like a needle and thread.
As my feet touch the court it makes no sound in the thundering noise of the crowd.
Sweat trickles down my face like rivers and streams do on the face of the earth.
Seconds are counting down to the end of the game where we are two points
down.
Each second is like a searing headache in my heart. The heart that wants to win.
Running down the court I pass the ball to the other guard
10...9... the ball is then passed to the centerman 
8...7... the centerman passes it back to me
6...5... With possession of the ball I feel power but also a weakness because the fate of this game depends on me
4...3... standing just outside the 3-point line I release the ball 
2... the ball arches over the eager faces of the players watching to see which way the coin will land, heads or tails?
1... the ball swooshes through the net carrying with it the burden of the game as the cheers blaze like the fires in my heart.

Dear April,
Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful poem with me. Congratulations on a great season and keep up the good work both on and off the court.

Warm Regards
Jerry Norton

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