She goes through her mental checklist:
Did she stretch?
Yes.
Has she practiced her routine?
A million times.
Is her costume secured?
It’s not going anywhere.
Yet she still feels like
The whole world is closing in on her.
No escape.
Then she remembers
She must approach that stage alone,
Face the audience alone,
And win the judges over,
Alone.
The whole world is silent.
She watches as her competitor
Rushes off the stage after a flawless performance
That she must now follow.
She can’t breathe.
They announce her name.
As she runs on stage just as she rehearsed,
She assumes her beginning pose.
The music starts playing.
She holds her breath,
And lets her feet take over.