Defeat

by Alexis Szoke


I am defeated.
Defeated is to be overcome.
Overcome, or come over?
What have I come over?

Over, over there?
Not there, here.
Here and
now. Now I am afraid.


...

Afraid, not frightened.
Fright is sudden, this is not sudden.
This is defeat...
-ment.

What I meant is that I haven't actually overcome anything,
Not suddenly.
But nothing has overcome me, either.
...

Fear has not overcome me,
It comes over me,
suddenly,
suddenly over she
but it hasn't overcame me.

So if fear hasn't overcome me,
or she,
What is over me now?
Now, now that we are not here,
but there.

Which is here.

Here I am not afraid.
Here I am not overcome
or come over.

Suddenly she overcame
defeat.
she?
She. That girl

me.

I have overcome
defeat.
I am not defeated,
 

I am NOTdefeated.

She is enduring,
Persistent.

....really?
Yes really.

She was afraid
really.
afraid
of the suddenly.

Of sudden fright.
Fear.
She was afraid of fear.
But not I.
Not here.

Here,
I outlast defeat.
I outlasted what came over me.

I outlasted the sudden she.

I am not defeated,
I am here.
Suddenly,
here.

Not afraid, nor frightened,
Not defeated.
I am conqueror.
I defeated.
I won.
We won.
That girl and I.

Do not judge.
Defeat happens to the best of us.
We must persist.
Even if it hurts.
We will prevail
That girl and you.
If all of us are daring enough to find what lies on the other side.
of defeat.

Suddenly,
lets overcome.