one afternoon
i rebound basketballs
for some friends on the team

they throw their right hooks
silently
because we're supposed to be meditating

we're on retreat
a three-day silent retreat
in an all-girls school -

(can you imagine
high school girls silent
for three whole days?)

over and over they throw
layups and foul shots
again, and again, and again.

the uneven rhythm
of basketballs
echos in the gym.

my eyes follow
the arc of the ball.
late afternoon sun is falling

from the high windows
above an exit doorway
onto the scuffed wood floor.

the ball rolls
around the rim
and through the net

my palm and fingers smell
of basketball and sweat.
I catch the ball

and pass it to a friend
doing silent free throws.
she catches the ball.

she toes the line.
she tosses the ball up
into the air