the weight lifter

the weight lifter,
though gentle in soul
looks
like he could bend steel
with his bare
hands.
and sometimes he does,
just for show.
he looks into the mirror
at his work.
turns for a side view.
he listens
to what people say to him
when they
comment on his
weight, or how his legs
might look.
he's worried
all the time and wonders
about the path
he's chosen.
then he lifts, he lifts
more,
again and again.
he wants what he can
never have, but keeps
trying just the same.