Have a read of my poem ‘Tactics’, first published in Quadrant Magazine. ‘Tactics’, inspired by my own struggles on the tennis court, is one of the poems in my latest poetry collection, ‘Flat White, One Sugar‘, Ginninderra Press.

I hope you enjoy it.

Tactics:

A woman is hitting back & forth

across the net, a peaked cap

secured by her ponytail.

Can she overcome the self-doubt,

anxiety & lapses of concentration?

She mustn’t let her mind

be the winner in this battle.

Right here, right now,

she’s in control,

even in the wind,

alternating her drives

to the far corners of the court.

Nothing distracts her,

not the noisy leaf blower

or her male opponent

with superior physical strength.

Tactics are her best weapon.

Now she is serving,

tossing the ball high,

straight as an arrow,

reaching up,

accelerating,

out wide

to his lefthanded backhand.

She ignores her cap

escaping with the wind

as she executes

a perfect follow through.

She smiles.

Ace! It’s an ace.

Copyright 2025 Libby Sommer