She was young, and delicate, and graceful

and she had soft blond hair

falling gently over her eyes.

And she was wearing a summer dress

and picking daisies

in her yard.

And then her father

called her

into the house

And she ran into her room

and replaced her dress

with an old T-shirt and a pair of cleats.

And left the room

and pulled her soft blond hair

back with an elastic.

And when her car stopped at the soccer field

she emerged not as a girl

but as a tiger.

The feet which had just danced

through the grass

were about to race across the turf.

And

Jump

Soar

Leap

Higher than the sun.

And she would

Slide

Shoot

Score

And she would be a hero

For an instant.

And soon she would be back

picking daisies

in her yard.

As a young, delicate, graceful

Girl.