Sue Bird’s Second to Last Home Game at Climate Pledge Arena
I’ve been here before, when the Sonics played the Bulls in the playoffs. Back when I played sports. I
mean, when I breathed sports, stalking the lobby of the Four Seasons to get an up-close glimpse of
Pippen, Rodman, Kerr, Jordan. If I was waiting in line behind Sue Bird at the post office, I would
tell her she is the exception. Then I would nervously peel the tape edges on my package. She’d look
at me and ask if I played sports. I’d say no, and then yes. I used to be athletic—sweating profusely
through jerseys, taping ankles, day dreaming of fakes and screens. If Sue Bird and I were both
buying milk at the grocery store, deciding between whole milk or 2%, organic or grass-fed, I’d ask
her if she gets tired of all the striving. She would shrug and ask me why I gave up so easily? We’d
steer our carts down different aisles. The female body in motion is a beautiful thing. Tough and also
tender. Fierce and flowing. What kind of word is strong? Sue Bird, I want to sit next to you in the
dentist office lobby, run into you at Costco. I want the chance to ask you if there is anything better
than winning. Yes, I’ve been in this arena before, but what I really want, Sue Bird, is to stand shoulder-
to-shoulder in my middle-aged mom athleisure wear and take a team picture. Show me, Sue Bird, how to
live in this body. Tell me, Sue Bird, how do I trust my own strength, which is to ask
how do I know when it’s gone?
Jessica Gigot is a poet, farmer, and writing coach. She lives on a little sheep farm in the Skagit Valley. Her second book of poems, Feeding Hour (Wandering Aengus Press, 2020) was a finalist for the 2021 Washington State Book Award. Jessica’s writing and reviews appear in several publications, such as Orion, Ecotone, Terrain.org, and Poetry Northwest. She is currently a poetry editor for The Hopper. Her memoir, A Little Bit of Land, was published by Oregon State University Press in September 2022.
Currently Reading:
“I am just finishing Deborah Levy's living autobiography series (Things I Don't Want to Know, The Cost of Living, and Real Estate). I also have The Cloud Path by Melissa Kwansy and Ross Gay's Inciting Joy on my nightstand, reading those in tiny spurts.”
For More About the Author:
Instagram/Threads: @jessica.gigot