Poetry Prompt: Playing Together

One of the joys of sports is that you get to play on a team. You make friends, you share experiences, both the joy of winning and the disappointment of defeat. Talk about the experience of being with friends and winning or losing. What do you remember about playing together?

"The Women’s Team at L. Bamberger & Co."
by Lillian Morrison

Our best forward
wasn’t very tall
but made up for it
in speed, spunk and
spring in the knees.
She could almost slam-dunk.
Proud, in our snazzy
silver shorts, maroon tops,
we ran and sweated
in those drafty gyms
(seats most empty)
somehow always playing
against bigger, rougher teams,
tough girls who shoved
and elbowed, but Maggie’s
fakes and pivots, charges
down the floor, layups,
jumpers, onehanders
would fire us up, and the
few times we did win,
the bare locker rooms,
and we showered and dressed,
rang with our rejoicing
and when we emerged, heading
for the bus, each of us
at least two inches taller,
the frosty air outside
seemed to greet us with kisses.