John Updike's Ex-Basketball Player

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Past Life

As a former athlete, I can relate to John Updike's poem, Ex-Basketball Player in many ways. In this short story-like poem, a man named Flick Webb is described to readers. Flick is known as the best basketball player to come from his high school team, The Wizards. The star player in 1946 still holds multiple county records. Unfortunately, his bright career as a basketball player has ended. Flick now works at the local garage selling gas, checking oil, and changing flat tires. Just like Flick, my career as a basketball player ended abruptly after my senior year. An array of insights into my life such as memories, feelings, and lessons were revealed after reading.

The first insight that this poem brought to my attention was
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