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center for writing | minnesota writing project

Charles Barniskis

©2010

23 Overflows and Spills

We are all witnesses to a native son leaving home:
*“I’m gonna take my talents to South Beach.”

We are all witnesses to eyes turned upward:
“I know a lot of people look up to me.”

We are all witnesses to sacrificing for larger truths:
“It would ultimately make me happy.”

We are all witnesses to public betrayals:
“It’s gonna give me the best opportunity to win.”

We are all witnesses to failed advertising campaigns:
“I don’t have any doubts.”

We are all witnesses to power in numbers:
“And you add me, we’re gonna be a really great team.”

We are all witnesses to wreckless spewing:
“I decided this morning…One morning this team, another morning, this team.”

We are all witnesses to oil in water and vinegar in rusty cities:
“I never wanted to leave Cleveland.”

We are all witnesses to cheering cities and crying coasts:
“It’s about everyone having their own spotlight.”

We are all witnesses to paranoid intimacy:
“Then, there will be those real friends who love me for who I am.”

We are all witnesses to rationalizing legacies:
“You ultimately have to live with your decision you’re going to have to make.”

“To make sure I was making the right decision for no one but myself.”
_____________
*“The Decision.” LeBron James interview with Jim Gray. ESPN. 9 July 2010.