Standing at the number that marks your run,
Take a breath and relax.
Guiding the pole behind your head
You measure where to place your left hand,
Take another breath.
Turning back to the runway you pick up the pole,
Holding the tip high you see the crossbar in the distance,
One last breath.
Take off.

The blow to the box,
it's like nothing you've ever felt.
Reaching as high as you can,
Being lifted off the ground,
Feeling the energy of your run transfer to the pole.
Watching your hands in front of your face
You feel the pole start to bend
as you hang in the air.

Time to swing.
Forcing your feet and hips over your head,
You have to focus on pushing your body
over the bar.
Get close to the pole "like it's your boyfriend"
So that you can put pressure back down the pole
and make the bar.

The pole wants to straighten out now,
So it does.
Shooting you into the air
up and over the crossbar.
You get a glimpse of the sky and your feet,
Before you have to tighten your abs and get straight--
Upside down--
in the air.

Over the bar and you're falling fast,
You've thrown the pole
and turned around like you're supposed to,
Except it was only on instinct and
You don't completely recall doing it.
The mat is soft as you land on its cushion,
Completely breaking your fall.
Looking up you see
The bar is still sitting on the standards,
You cleared it!