You were good at sports,
but the captains never wanted you
on their team.

Even after you proved that you could
run, catch, hit,
they didn’t want you.

Even after you made touchdowns
or bagged the quarterback,
they didn’t want you.

You were always the last girl
standing, tiny fury,
some shy boy chosen second-to-last

just because he was a boy.
You would kick his ass
once the game got started

but not until one captain resigned  
himself to defeat.
I guess she’s on our team, he’d pout,

his back already turned
while you stood there waiting
to be wanted.

Michelle Meyer is the author of The Trouble with Being a Childless Only Child (Cornerstone Press, 2024) and The Book of She (2021). Individual poems have appeared in Autumn Sky, ONE ART, Pearl Press, Tiny Spoon, Welter, and elsewhere. She lives in western Wisconsin. Find her @meeshmeyerwrites and www.michellemeyerwrites.com