Kickoff.
She smiles at you, you pretend
not to notice her but she’s flying
right at you. You stare until she reaches
you, prepared to catch her on her way down.
get as far as you can, before
he pulls you down.

1st down.
Running up to the line can be
exciting. It all feels so new like
the stiches on the jerseys. She feels
good, she feels right, like this play
could go all the way, but its ok
because you’re just getting started.

2nd down.
Lining back up under the center, everything
feels fine. It feels like this play is
the most comfortable. You go on
dates, throw the ball, run
the ball, meet her family. What could go wrong?
She feels like the play you
practiced 100 times at practice.
One slip up is nothing to worry
about, because can get right up and
try again.

3rd down.
After a huddle with friends, you rush back to see
her. But before you hike the ball, you
see him lined up in an open
hole, where he can easily tackle
her or pick you off. You act unalarmed, showing
how strong you really are, but you’re afraid
something might go wrong.
Hiking the ball, you quickly turn and
fire the ball her direction, something she wasn’t
ready for. Upon receiving the ball,
she’s immediately tackled by
Mr. Long, tan, and handsome. He seems to have found
a weak spot in your defense.

4th down.
One last push, final play, final breath of
desperation. You know you need to
get somewhere, or you’ll lose
possession. You look one more
time at her, as though you know you’re
about to be blind-sided. As soon as the word,
“Hike!” rings out of your mouth, you see
her start to run. You close your eyes and
throw your arms back, ready to launch
the ball of love and hope her direction. Before it leaves
your hand, you’re hit by him,
hard,
and drop the ball. You’re down.
You need help up, but she’s
too busy chasing after him now.

Turnover On Downs.
On the sidelines, you can’t believe
she’s with him now, smiling, laughing,
loving everything about him. The drive looked
so promising, and you felt it was going
all the way, but only to be let down by a
3 and out.