I was on the verge of crying in between a table tennis match. I was not able to understand whether it was the fear of losing or losing in front of everyone that was making me tense. I had always portrayed myself as a strong and tough girl and thought that this image will be shattered if I cried. Suddenly, I heard my mom shout “ Pranjali, tie your shoelace!”. Even though my shoelace seemed properly tied, I still bent down to check upon it. And I realised that no one could see me! I allowed my emotions to flow and then tied my shoelace. This poem is all about me tying my shoelace that day….
The smile of winning on her face,
and her never ending stare,
was making me very nervous,
the pressure was too much to bear.
My heartbeats were rising,
My hands were beginning to shake,
I was looking for an excuse,
To ask for a break.
And came a voice from behind,
“Pranjali, tie your lace.”
And I grabbed the opportunity
To hide my face.
I stretched the two strands,
To their greatest lengths,
The two things I need to focus on,
Her weakness and my strengths.
I criss-crossed them,
To make a nice knot,
I realised by combining the two,
I can give my best shot.
By making the two loops that said,
There are loopholes in my game
I just need to improvise
And refine the same.
Finally when I tie the last knot
And pull to make it tight,
Winning or losing doesn’t matter,
What matters is that I fight.
In all such moments of despair,
That you will have to face,
take a step back, bend down,
And tie your shoelace….
-Pranjali Shah
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