The tryouts were at noon today
and I was up there on display.

The coach said, “show us what you’ve got!”
my knees went weak, my face felt hot.

I tried a cartwheel, hit the wall,
and took a rather nasty fall.

My handstand was a total flop
I landed with a painful plop.

A backflip? I said what the heck,
then fell and almost broke my neck.

A backbend? Well, I really tried
but wrenched my back and nearly cried.

I tried the mini trampoline
but felt like such a klutzy teen.

I asked for other stunts to try.
The coach responded, with a sigh,

“A somersault should be a breeze
but you just bloodied both your knees.

“A roundabout? A running flip?
I fear, my dear, that you would trip.”

This cheering stuff is crazy hard
so I went home to my back yard.

My arms are sore and so’s my rear.
Can’t WAIT to try again next year!

p.s. I tried my best to become a cheerleader but other candidates had mad skillz, so I concentrated on mastering the trumpet. It worked out well because I became first chair trumpet.

I was proud to be on the football field in high school (with the cheerleaders on the sidelines) marching and cheering on our football team.