fear pounds through my veins

and makes my blood run like concrete

           as I skip up the stairs in daisy circuit

lap 3/3 and I get tunnel vision

my mind sees one thing in the distance

                      victory

until I hear the whoosh of impeding doom, tinged in blue

the checkered line in sight

I can see it, I can taste it

   if only I had more time

a pow, a bang, a dome, I spin

           Diddy Kong laughs hysterically as he takes the checkered flag

blue shell, blue shell, why art thou so cruel?

victory slips through my fingers like water from a faucet

                      or rather like the salty teardrops falling into my palms

a moment ago, I could smack my lips together

   and taste victory on my tongue

now my mouth is filled only with the bitter coffee ground taste of disappointment

I’m Dea Guri, and I’m currently a student at Cleveland State University. When I’m not writing, I enjoy scream crying about sports, most notably my hometown teams & Scuderia Ferrari in the world of Formula One Racing. I currently live in Cleveland, Ohio, with a tiny army of plants.