Olympics

July 27, 2012

Olympic Thoughts

Blogging has been on a hiatus and will continue to be, indefinitely, till blogging inspiration hits. My poetry inspiration continues in full force–things that have inspired me to write poems in the last few weeks include Alan Turing’s 100th birthday, a not-very-attractive face, and temporarily living in the eye of the storm of a long-running news story.

Today I got the chance to read at an Open Mic night; it went okay, but I couldn’t help think all open mics would be better if they took a little more inspiration from the Olympics.

 

(#2 was the best of the first six, for the record.)

February 20, 2010

Top Nine Potential Winter Olympic Sports

With the forthcoming substitution of golf and rugby union for baseball and softball in the Summer Olympics, there will likely someday be changes to the Winter Olympic program. I’ve taken the liberty of compiling some suggestions and critical commentary.

*Frozen-water skiing
Good news: life jackets less necessary than normal.
Bad news: I think there’s some sort of ban on motor vehicles in Olympic races.

*Uphill skiing
Good news: don’t need any new facilities.
Bad news: not very exciting for the television audience.

*Ice fishing
Good news: more widespread than other contenders.
Bad news: makes coming up with a cute mascot a little harder.

*Short track figure skating
Good news: there’s precedent for combining two separate events.
Bad news: After figure ones and figure sevens, there’s not a lot you can do on a short track.

*Phiathlon
Good news: faster than the biathlon.
Bad news: It’s a little irrational.

*Full pipe snowboarding
Good news: twice as intense as the halfpipe.
Bad news: Hard for the judges to get a clear view of the action.

*Mummy
Good news:  you could probably convert the skeleton tracks for it.
Bad news: uniform costs are a bit prohibitive.

*Joesled
Good news: It’ll shut Joe up from whining about how Bob has his own sled and he doesn’t.
Bad news: If we give Joe a sled, Bill is gonna want one too, and then so is Mary…

*Sliding, seated without any equipment, down an icy hill
Good news: I could probably win a medal at this.
Bad news: Freestyle competition has taken a hit since overzealous elementary school recess-patrollers banned jumps.

February 13, 2010

Acrostic

Kids watch with glowing souls, at this rising
Up from brown slush, to look down on clouds or
Mountains or tops of tracks. It’s surprising
And odd how illusions look if you soar.

Right now you can look at this world both ways.
It’s cold and harsh, but still a torch will burn.
Today it’s dark, but wait for distant days
And glory will show you that it’s your turn.

So climb to find clouds that will bring us snow.
High up, in this unforgiving thin air.
Victory blurs with loss. And now you go;
It’s fast and cold to burn out. It’s not fair.

Living is placid win and loss. But still
It’s all you know until it’s all downhill.