The prompt: Victory Lap - Write about a personal win that took much discipline and resilience to achieve. For me, just getting to the point where I feel free to be myself is victory enough.
is a lap in the race.
The laps grow shorter
the longer the race is run,
until one day you glimpse
the finish line
and wonder,
How did I get here?
Some laps hold
in memory longer than others:
intimate loves,
the births of children,
then grandchildren,
accidents and illnesses,
the deaths - one after another -
of those in our pit crew,
the ones who cared for us,
the ones who cheered,
the ones who pushed us
to keep racing.
We can admire our team,
but we are the ones
in the driver’s seat.
We take the sharp turns,
endure the blown tires,
caught inside the race itself
as we move ever onward.
Perhaps victory
is simply enduring:
learning what works
and what doesn’t
so we stay on the track.
Perhaps it is resilience:
the will to start again
after crashes
threaten to cripple
or sideline us.
I did not get here alone,
but I am in my victory lap.
I do not know when
or how my race will end.
The finish line
is not mine to choose.
This I know:
even on the hardest laps,
I kept going.
And here I am.
Poetry by Melinda K Zarate
Read 11 times
Written on 2026-01-22 at 17:51
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And Here I Am
Every year of lifeis a lap in the race.
The laps grow shorter
the longer the race is run,
until one day you glimpse
the finish line
and wonder,
How did I get here?
Some laps hold
in memory longer than others:
intimate loves,
the births of children,
then grandchildren,
accidents and illnesses,
the deaths - one after another -
of those in our pit crew,
the ones who cared for us,
the ones who cheered,
the ones who pushed us
to keep racing.
We can admire our team,
but we are the ones
in the driver’s seat.
We take the sharp turns,
endure the blown tires,
caught inside the race itself
as we move ever onward.
Perhaps victory
is simply enduring:
learning what works
and what doesn’t
so we stay on the track.
Perhaps it is resilience:
the will to start again
after crashes
threaten to cripple
or sideline us.
I did not get here alone,
but I am in my victory lap.
I do not know when
or how my race will end.
The finish line
is not mine to choose.
This I know:
even on the hardest laps,
I kept going.
And here I am.
Poetry by Melinda K Zarate
Read 11 times
Written on 2026-01-22 at 17:51
Save as a bookmark (requires login) Write a comment (requires login) Send as email (requires login) Print text
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ken d williams |
