Thread: She Messed Up On Her Kata

She Messed Up On Her Kata


I
Everyone looks the same
in a sea of white Gis;
the only standout is natural beauty.
—Faces, feet and fists;
skin tone and haircuts;
skill and dedication.

II
She’s got brown skin,
straight-spaced teeth
and China pink lips to hide them
—or amplify them.

Even from this distance
I can see: her eyes,
magnified by a thick prescription,
and the soft tops of her feet;
and as she kicks her ridges show
—a beautiful skeleton.

She smiles with a nervous awkwardness
in my direction—
(I forgot this isn’t a film)
and just then the play begins.

She runs though basics:
punch; step. Punch;
step. Punch; step. Punch;
step. Turn.
Kick; step. Kick;
step. Kick; step. Kick; step—

Her flexing frame outshines her peers,
but there are flaws:
her stance is too wide and too low
and she messed up on her Kata.

III
We applaud the effort
—I applaud her burning cheeks.

The next six step-up, inline,
and a paler counterpart appears;
she’s determined, stiff,
and her eyesight’s sharper.
Her Achilles could be a cheese wire,
perhaps it should be.

I observe her technique
and feel warmer—for a moment—
I am her father
and for that second I love my daughter
—but she messed up on her Kata.

IV
The last group I remember
was much smaller, both in members
and in stature;
the fifth in line had no partner
—she looked more like my daughter
than anyone before.

The girls around me bellowed awe
as the Sensei chose her opponent:
a boy around her age,
maybe seven or eight,
with gold about his waist.

The hair his mother gelled stood-up
and joined his eager shyness;
he was called before that girl,
who was equally uncomfortable
—innocent to the point of paralysis.
They never touched in sparring;

the general rule for 3-step sparring is:
2 inches from fist to face
—measured by overlapping fingers
print to knuckle,
but the sexual tensions of kindergarten
trade 2 inches for 2 feet.

They performed as gracefully
as a parent can dream
—a daughter’s purity is worth its weight
in both golden trophies and belts,
but as she lined up, alone again,
she messed up on her Kata.

I found this very charming, Svir. I've been that parent in the audience more times than I can count. You want so badly for your child to do well, and you're sure that they are the best one up there. It gave me a big chuckle to see that they all messed up on their Kata. Though I don't have a clear idea of what a Kata is.

Thank you very much!