She stands 

Noodle-y extremities falter
behind a heavy, obtrusive lump in her throat
Defeat free-falls
crashes onto her marrow  

Screw you and the pain you rode in on  

pain driven by a whip of fear
clinched by ruthless fingers of the Unknown  

Endurance soars on eagle’s wings
from the heavens and suggests
she let go  

Rest and wait  

Fear and Unknown hide
in shadows
but the thick lump dissolves
into vapor with each dogged breath
Her heart pumps iron
into those fragile noodles  

The fight, after all, calls not
for hard fists of brawn but
a patient soul
a soft heart full of
Brave