Dear Kobe

You were always present and always loomed large

Photo taken by Keith Allison on Wikipedia Commons

I taught “Dear Basketball” to my class yesterday
As a homage to you, a way of teaching poetic elements, and my students loved it.
I never met you or saw you play live. You were always that person on TV.
The one who would dare to try the toughest midrange shots, with two hands in your face.
The one who would dare to take that last shot and cherish the moment.

Kobe,
When I heard that you and Gianna died in the helicopter crash,
It felt like a piece of me was missing.
It felt like a huge figure and icon was missing.
I didn’t always cheer for you because A.I. was my favorite player.

But while I didn’t cheer for you, I always respected you.
I respected you most in the final years of your career.
Even when a lot of players would have quit, you refused.
Even when a lot of players would have thrown in the towel after injury after injury, you refused.
The accolades and wins didn’t come with the end of your career — but you still showed up.