Playing games

"Ready or not here I come."

That's what we used to say when we were young.

Joyful and carefree,

no second thought was given,

you just had to be.

Back then it was just a game,

yet this feels like it's so high stakes.

Play the card.

Roll the dice.

Three steps forward, one step back.

Plastic figures, cardboard base.

Nothing real left to trace.

This is different, not a game.

No forgotten damage put away in a box.

No running around the house barefooted or in socks.

"No pressure" they say,

yet it's no child's play.

Floating around in the dense air,

you can feel it subtly suffocating like humidity rising from the sea.

"Ready or not here I come."

This time I'm not playing it, it's playing me.

Mind games here and there,

mind games everywhere.

Scared to make the wrong move,

I brace myself and wait for it to hit.

My mixed-feeling self saying "just breathe, go with the groove."

It's okay if it's not all smooth.