Bouncing Off The Target
Just a kind of abstract poem about archery and trying to hit a tricky target. Originally written July 2020
Bouncing off the Target
By: A.X. Bueno
You prepare to take the shot
You focus your eyes as you put the nock on the bowstring and place the arrow
From there it's a simple matter of pulling back the string and letting it fly
You take a breath and let go
It hits for a brief instance and then it bounces off
You watch it happen as it flies back and lands a few feet away
You thought it would go in but the target was thicker than you thought
That thickness means that you're going to need a bit more force
You pick up another arrow and get ready to take another shot
This is just a target it cannot be impenetrable it cannot
You try to pull back the bowstring a little harder this time
You hope for a successful hit but you only get another bounce
You use the rest of your quiver of arrows but none can make the hit
They do nothing but bounce off even though you see them hit
They leave small marks where they land even though they can't make it in
A bunch of arrows sit under the target, shots that just weren't quite good enough
But the fact they came close
That they touched the target makes you continue to keep going
You keep shooting your arrows as what should have taken minutes takes over an hour
You sink your time into getting this single arrow into the target
Picking up the arrows that bounce so you can make them fly all over again
Then finally Thunk!
It hits with a soft thunk and you smile
It may not have hit the bullseye but you did it
You got it in and hit one of the surrounding rings
You soak in success for a minute before picking up another arrow
You know you can do it now so only the rest of them to go
You prepare another shot and just let it flow