Taking Your Olympic Measure

^{—Poetry was an Olympic event from 1912-1948.}

Think of the records you have held:
For one second, you were the world’s youngest person.

It was a long time ago, but still.
At this moment, you are living 

In the farthest thousandth-of-a-second in the history of time.
You have beaten yesterday’s record, again.

You were perhaps the only participant,
But in the race to get from your bedroom to the bathroom, 

You won.
You win so much, all the time in all things.

Your heart simply beats and beats and beats—
It does not lose, although perhaps one day.

Nevertheless, the lists of firsts for you is endless—
Doing what you have not done before,

Tasting sake and mole, smelling bergamot, hearing
Less well than you used to—

Not all records are for the scrapbook, of course—
Sometimes you are the best at being the worst.

Some records are secret—you know which ones.
Some records you’re not even aware of.

In general, however, at the end of a long day, you are—
Unlikely as it may seem—the record holder of note.  

• East City Bookshop in Washington D. C. is seeking a full-time Events and Marketing Manager to lead coordinators of offsite and virtual events, children’s programming, book clubs, social media, among other responsibilities. They are also seeking a full-time Store Manager. 
   
• Poets & Writers in New York City is seeking a full-time Director of Programs & Partnerships to develop, evaluate, and refine programming that helps writers develop their careers and reach readers. 
   
• The Paris Review in New York City is seeking a full-time Assistant or Associate Editor to support the Senior Editor with the magazine’s online presence.