Awakening

[Wildcard]

Hi Peter,
I like what you are doing here. I like the perspective and the movie I'm watching in my head while I read. I have a few suggestions and most of them are about the content and not really the form.

I was the youngest of the players,
content to give others the stage.
But in the waning days of summer,
as the scorching sun (the scorching sun doesn't paint long shadows, long shadows are painted by the setting and rising sun which is a cooler part of the day)
painted long shadows
on the restless playground, (by restless do you mean, busy?)
there came a moment
when I reached for the ball,
stopped, gathered,
and rose like some god
high above the outstretched hand
of my defender,
above the asphalt
glittering with diamonds of broken glass, (nice line. You made me see it)
the breathless dreams of the others, (is this worded right? and do the next three lines all need to start with 'the'?)
the thunderous traffic,
the cloud of my father’s anger,
and the chaos that was my life.
Like a dark fish (the next three lines are nice and took me completely by surprise. I like surprise.)
singlemindedly tracking
a dragonfly scuttling low
over a silent pond,
breaking the surface,
finding itself exposed,
to a new world of brilliant colors
exploding in the sun; (still on a great track, no crit at all)
my body playing out some inner wisdom, (good line, playing it down by handing the glory to the subconcious or instinct)
knowing it was my time;
alone with the bent metal rim;
its infinite circle beckoning,
offering a brief moment of clarity,
the world below stone silent.

The shot found its way home;
The chain net jangled,
I dropped back to earth,
heart unbound.
Revision 2-

'Heart unbound' I don't know about, though. Can't quite figure out the right words, but it just feels a little mainstream for this underdog story.
Overall I really like your work. Keep posting, sir.