The pull-up bar is sometimes hard to pull up to 

But I’ve been doing it for years, it’s nothing new 

It’s a round piece of metal, about an inch thick 

On rough days I have to try not to kick

So I let my legs dangle, crossed at the ankle, and I look like a banana 

The roof above is my home gym cabana 

My forearms and lats, biceps engage 

The feeling as I pull is a reminder of my age

Fighting gravity 

It’s what all the wise do 

Keep on pulling through 

Soreness, fatigue, and tendonitis

With my chin above the bar, I look down at all the detritus 

Leaves and roly polies

I try not to squish ‘em as I descend 

Eccentric movement is important too 

And little garage floor creatures (even spider crickets!) are my friends 

Pull-ups seem to get harder some days 

So I ordered some new assistive bands from Amazon 

Some days I need some help 

And I hope to keep doing pull ups long

High rep, low weight 

Sometimes that’s great 

When the going gets rough, I envision the zombie apocalypse 

And the need to scale a fence 

And one never knows when she’ll encounter an alligator pit

So being able to jump and then pull 

It’s a survival skill, not just about looking cool 

And then some days I just practice hanging 

There’s something to that too – just being able to hold on

With or without the bands from Amazon 

30 seconds, 45, maybe a minute

I’d like to get that time up too 

The calluses on my hands are my own personal pendants 

As the months and years go by

I keep coming to the bar 

It’s set high

I can’t lower it – that would admit things I would rather deny

So some days I use the assistive bands 

I skip the lotion and gloves for my hands 

Some days I use the step-up block to bring the bar closer 

But no matter what, I grab on to it 

The roly poly has indeed rolled over 

But the bar, I don’t think, will ever be lowered

(At least not by me)