The Cheerleader

The cheerleader went searching

she’d lost her spirit

lost her school

Pom poms tossed in a corner

lost her whole conception of cool

She’d shouted herself hoarse,

done all the splits she could

she’d spent a dragon’s lifetime

perfecting the art of good

Something wasn’t working, nothing sat quite well

no comfort, bad knees, undervalued

not to mention bored as hell

Each time she landed an impossible jump

she’d watch for the gasp of the crowd

Only to find their eyes fixed on the quarterback

he threw an okay ball, they were fucking wowed

And now, it’s tournament game night, a pass veers, hits her straight on the head

to peels of laughter from the stands, and our vigilant hero lifts her gaze, red

She has an itch she wants to scratch,

all her very own

On this moonless night she leaves three skirts upon:

the goal post, the freethrow line, pitcher’s mound

gone the way of her pom poms, haphazard, flown

Fashions a crown of sage then makes it burn,

with diamond drill bits and a welding mask

she sculpts a rose quartz throne

She plops her chair near a café

long legs crossed stately so

looking for peace and quiet

as students, untrained suitors, retired state workers, wander to and fro

And now a tired frog hops near

his legs are killing him

He hasn’t relaxed in years

have a seat, she waves on a whim

He leaps onto a pub stool next to her

she kisses him with her smile

Miracle of miracles!

the same strain of lonely has found itself

they hold each other’s court

a very long long while

But as with any vulnerability

all good things must come to a head

She pushes a box toward him

he will not open, will not see

it, doesn’t push it back again

Awkward time passes, neither under the other’s thumb

fall passes to winter, food enough for two titans dwindling to a squirrel’s crumbs

Abruptly one day he shoves a wooden staff into the frozen ground

a hole opens, out pour bleachers of spectators (not fans)

Hey, get back to your place next to the field, they cry

get back there, they point and to her shock,

so does he then hops in their stand

Our hero takes a deep breath now, steels herself to speak, will not freeze

“Pardon,” she yells above the jeering mob,

“Where’s my sideline, my bleachers, who’s screaming out for me?

So if you don’t mind, and even if you do

I’ll do or not do my job as I

damned well goddamned please”

These words are met with silence

Friends, when a crowd goes quiet like that

hands slide into pockets, it’s nothing good

I’ve seen these things decline in seconds, flat

Frog leads the charge, as one by one, they throw

what soon becomes, a barrage, of stones

they get that firing squad look in their eyes

someone yells idiot you forgot the blindfold,

they start filming it on their phones

I see her

stare into the eyes she’d grown to meet whenever they came near

I think maybe she’s thinking we swam in oceans, not puddles, you fool

Do I see in this moment four eyes meet, two hearts, one mirror?

With one deft leap forward, froggy pins a letter to her chest in red

our villain winks at the crowd, I hear him hiss in her ear

behold, what you get when you stray

Uncover face from my hands

she’s bleeding on the ground now, pulling herself to her knees now

they nod in satisfaction

oh god she’s bringing herself to pray

Our hero, standing on the plank

but wait

Now I see her as I have two hundred times before

yet for the first time, at attention, a beaming grin, no way

Sticks her chest now

plants her feet now

shoots her fists now

yells at crowd now

GIMME

AN

A

♦

—Jodi Vander Molen

@jvwords