“What’s-Her-Name”

by Sofia Peraza

She stacks the weight on to the bar.

She dreams of one day becoming a star.

Her hard work, she knows, will take her far.

 

She lifts the bar up towards the sky.

The excitement has her on adrenaline high.

The more weight she adds, the harder she must try.

 

Every day she’s in the gym.

She fills her protein shake up to the brim.

To gain mass is her every whim.

 

All who laughed, and judged, and stared,

Get in her head to try to make her scared.

But she will succeed because she dared.

 

“You’re a girl, you can’t do that!

Stay at home; clean, cook, and chat.”

And taking it further, she steps onto the mat.

 

A whole new game, she loves to play.

She puts her body through chaos, some may say.

All this work, done in one day.

 

On the mat, her body becomes a weapon of mass destruction.

Here she is home, no need for introduction.

She waits for her coach to give her instruction.

 

On the mat, bodies entangle; it’s anyone’s game.

To the boys, she is no lower. They’re all the same.

She dreams for everyone to soon cheer her name.

 

The crowd will all cheer one day, she knows

As sure as she has two eyes, a mouth, and a nose.

On the magazine covers, she’ll strike her pose.

 

All who laughed before, she will laugh right back.

Calm and collected, counting her cash stack after stack.

To success, she is on the fast track.