Encounter at the Gymnasium
Round metallic plates of various sizes—
10 pounds, 25 pounds,
and the ferocious 45 pounder—
sit patiently upon their perch,
awaiting their next human encounter
where they will be gathered up,
always in equal pairs,
and set into place upon a heavy iron bar.
The human who has
put them into place
then lays down upon his back
upon a cushioned platform
and pauses for a moment,
presumably in order to gather up his thoughts.
A smell of physical exertion
hangs in the air,
propelling the human forward
in his resolute quest
to achieve “definition.”
The bar is then lowered,
and raised up again.
The human will complete
a series of these motions,
which are known to him as “reps.”
Following a short pause
to rearrange his grip upon the bar,
the human will conduct yet another
series of these bizarre upward motions.
The now-depleted human,
as yet unwilling to abandon his objective,
takes a series of deep breaths
before carrying his ritual to its conclusion
through a final series of strained exertions.
With his objective now completed,
the human arises from his platform,
takes a drink of water
from his portable supply,
and restores the metal plates
to their previous perch,
where they resume their silent vigil
awaiting the next human
who may happen to come along.
Written in response to a prompt from Rattle
