Thump.
The ball hits the pavement. Bounces. Lies still.
The kid picks it up. Throws.
Hits the backboard, swishes through the hoop.
Basket. Score.
Laughter. Applause. High fives.
People happy. Proud.
Kid beams from ear to ear.
Success.
Silence. Wind swishes through the trees.
Bugs crawl in the underbrush.
birds chirping, quietly.
Silently, they move.
These people, defending their country.
Boom. Noises, shouts, fire.
Gunshots. Worse. Bombs, exploding everywhere.
In 2 minutes it's all over.
Silence once again.
No men survived.
Ice cream, dripping down his arm.
Giggles.
Children, frolicking in the sun. Swimming, on a hot day.
Giddy, happy to be alive.
Life moves on.
Waking up in a hospital bed.
Knowing your family is gone.
You will never walk again.
Your arm was amputated.
Life moves on.
No money. No food. No clothes.
Shivering in winter, sweltering in summer.
No job.
Economy, that evil word.
Country has failed you, after all you gave to them.
Life moves on.
President, trying to lead the people into better times.
'Yes we can.'
What does he know? Can we, really?
Soldiers dying at war,
families without money,
so much sorrow.
Just a typical Sunday,
shooting hoops with the guys,
happy, carefree.
No worries at all.
If the kid was the child of the soldier,
or the son of the President,
if he was touched by poverty,
or understood the ways of the world,
things might be different.
But such is the world we live in.
People dying,
babies being born,
happy,
sad,
sorrow,
laughter,
destruction,
construction,
ice cream,
and basketball.
And life moves on. It always does.
Wow.
ReplyDeleteTotally unexpected ending.
At first I thoughts the poem was a standard look at lifecycles until I got to "if the kid was the child of the soldier"
etc.
That being said I think it is a good thing to have carefree time even though there are scary things going on in the world.
Even the child of a soldier or government official or poor person etc. should be able to spend some time unburdened by the seeming harshness of reality. Ideally one shouldn't be burdened at all but if we aren't holding there we can atleast play some basketball (though preferably hockey) and have fun with friends.
Good Post!
well my point was that there are so many things all mixed together, forming one big salad we call the world. and yes, while one person can be extremely happy, someone else is devistatingly sad, and their emotions may never touch each other, because they lead 2 separate lives.
ReplyDeletebut of course you are right. everyone is entitled to a little down time. everyone should get some happiness in life.
i personally like basketball, though i do suck at it. and i like ice skating, but the thought of moving really fast on ice while trying to shoot a puck is a bit of a scary thought.
thanks. btw i was just thinking that probably no one would read this or respond for a while, and how i wasnt bothered cuz i know its good even if no one sees it. and then u commented! u made me happy :) thanks.
"i personally like basketball, though i do suck at it"
ReplyDeleteI dislike basketball purely because I suck at it. LOL.
Well Ive got like a week until Yeshiva so theres not much to do other than try to squeeze the last minutes out of summer...
and waste time on the computer.
I like the contrast. You switch between extremities VERY well and the way you structure the whole thing really allows me to visualize what you wrote. This is definitely one of my favorites.
ReplyDeletelol. excuse me, I DO NOT waste time on the computer. i use it as a tool to communicate with the outside world.
ReplyDeletebla bla bla. agreed. it is a waste.
my sister made me 'detox' over the weekend, so i didnt use acomputer since thursday!!!! when i checked my email this morning i had 41!!! it was a little weird not to be checking it constantly, but i gotta say, peaceful. u should try it.
staples- why thank you, kind sir. i do think its good too. i hope i got my point accross, i kind of just let my thoughts flow, as that is the best way to do it.
oh and faivel- there is no reason to dislike something just cuz u suck at it. try to play, maybe youll get better.
ReplyDeletealways do stuff u dislike doing- its good 4 u.
Altie, I wasn't saying that you waste time on the computer. I was saying I notice everyone's blogs get updated quickly because I spend alot of time on the computer.
ReplyDelete"Maybe you will get better"
If you saw me play basketball you would retract that commment :-D
I know that. but I was saying that I waste time on the computer. just something i acknowledge.
ReplyDeletei'd chalange you to a match, if that were possible. then we'd be two suckers playing basketball :)
side note - its really sad that the reason I can't start my blog yet is because I can't think of a cool enough name :-X
ReplyDeletelol u suck!! it doesnt have to be cool, just start it!! cmon, im waiting.
ReplyDeletehttp://shtetlvision.blogspot.com/
ReplyDelete:) (BIG smile.) good job!
ReplyDeleteYou like basketball? We need to start some kind of weekly game somewhere when I get back. And once my foot heals.
ReplyDeleteYou in?
oooooooh ya i'm in!! but u gotta promise not to laugh at my skills. or lack thereof.
ReplyDeleteThis is masterpiece - a short poetry. Did you ever try to write short stories?
ReplyDeletethank you. Yes, check this out.
ReplyDeletehttp://from-the-holy-land.blogspot.com/2009/08/nothing-is-forever.html
I throw around ideas, but not all of them make it onto my blog, for various reasons, one of them being, people judge very harshly. But I might post a new short story soon.
Enjoy.
If we're organizing a basketball game, I'm in.
ReplyDeleteyay! this is gonna be fun!
ReplyDeleteWow. Awesome poem. You definitely have quite a talent in writing/poetry.
ReplyDelete