When the odds are against you
Your chips are all down
No one else can represent you
And you fear looking a clown.

Palms are sweating
Heart beating so hard
Doubts have you fretting
And your confidence jarred.

You look for support
None comes your way
You’re your own last resort
And it all rests on this play.

Fear has your heart
Doubt has your mind
So similar to start
So overpowering when combined.

You look deep within
For something that’s strong
Only fear has you pinned
And you doubt you belong.

The faces all gather
You hear them all laugh
You struggle to matter
As you question your path.

Your heart’s in a pump
Your hands have the shakes
In your throat there’s a lump
There is so much at stake.

Everything you’ve ever wanted
For it you have worked so hard
Keeping quiet when they taunted
Even when taunts got past your guard.

You believe in yourself
When it seems no one else does
Now, realising it depends on no one else
Gives you an undeniable buzz.

Your life is in your hands
It’s all coming down to you
And how you exert your plans
Could be the making of the two.

It’s now or never
Comes a voice in your mind
You must find your measure
For it’s now you’re defined.

Your breathing is heavy
You try think of a way out
Then your nerves start to steady
For this is what it’s all about.

You must rise to the challenge
For to quit is to die
And even if you fail now
You can hold your head high.

For whether or not you lose
Or it’s your day in the light
Playing is the only option to choose
Because life, is about the fight.

© Daniel Breslin