I see my foe across the field. I set him in my sights. I hope my courage does not fail to this monster's terrible might. The pressure of the watching crowd is pulling me apart. They cheer for blood and gore and death, of which I want no part. The monster turns it's eyes on me. I feel my knees go weak. How can I face a foe so great? One I'd hoped to never meet. Rising oe'r the jeering crowd, a call that stops my heart. It says to let the monster free and yells, "The Games now start!" I hear the shackles fall away, my foe, he stands up straight. Now begins my fight for life. A battle that the fates dictate.
I wrote this poem while I should have been working. It was my first job as a 15 year old. I was the copy editor at the tiny local newspaper. I can still remember this night and how the words seemed to just flow.
A Penny for Your Thoughts 