The whistle blows

the ball goes up
I tip it
He stands there
He stands there
because he doesn’t want to lose
to a girl
He stands there because in our
society
It’s acceptable to let the girl win
He stands there and laughs
While I want to scream
What if we played basketball
with bags over our heads?
What if we played with the lights out?
Would you still let me win?
Would you actually play basketball with me?
No matter my gender or
color of skin?
He stands there
because the only power
I have to fight back
is my basketball
and he stands there
because he knows I would win