Then I Heard The Applause..........

It was a non-starter
He, smarter and fitter
I, larger and fatter

We started at the gunshot
The race was never hot
I gave it all i had got
Yet, cat calls and pot shot
Was all i got.

He ran like a breeze
I ran like my lungs were on a lease
His pace, long ceased to be a tease
Really, it was chalk and cheese

Then, suddenly he came down in a heap
Did my heart, with joy, leap?
Awash with the prize i would reap
Where did i get the second wind?, such a creep!

The distance lessened
My pace quickened
He lay on the ground, flattened

As i came near
I heard the crowd cheer
Or was it a jeer?
A sign to wait on my peer?
Or run past him, and go clear?

As our eyes met
He winked at me, you bet
Did i see them wet?
As he motioned me, a let!

Aha!
The race was mine for the taking
I realised he was faking
But what the hell, i never asked
It was his making

As i sprinted past him
I heard a thunderous applause
Of deathly silence
Did that stop me
Or my conscience came calling
I shall never know

I gave him my hand
He winked at me again
My wet eyes, my only refrain

Together we limped hand in hand
The crowd stopped yet again
Before it broke into a rapturous applause
This time round the pause
Was the ultimate applause.....

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