The Courage to Pause. Simone Biles.

Easy to admire the fluid grace
the obedient agile body built with
hours of sweat and striving sacrifice
Easy to overlook the price. Pain

not just the muscle burn and ache
the hidden cost the scorch of so many
focused eyes so many voices free to
pick and peck so much media glare

till there was no small private space.
Every mirror showed demand not
a girl still growing into herself without
silence to begin to know to feel stretch
and flex thoughts in quietness, to unfurl.

To stop in the middle of triumph to call
for silence take time to regain tranquility.

About the Poem

This is about the Olympic athlete Simone Biles who withdrew from the Toyoko Olympics to focus on her mental health.

About the Author

Jeanne Ellin is a 74 yr old disabled woman of multiple heritages happily discovering creativity is not limited by age or disability.

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