Olympians2 Poem by Don Pearson

The ribbon and the
Silver medal
Could not obscure
The heavy gold chain round his neck.

“Sure, man, there’s pressure,
Like, every time we go on court
In the NBA.
But, hey, you get used to it
But, the Olympics,
Now, that’s real hard.”

Next to him on the couch,
The man with the medal
For shooting
Recalled his fear
And a head in his sights
That first time
And how hard it had been
To pull the trigger.

“It is not difficult
To shoot at a target, ” he thought.
“Experience is a big help, ” he replied.

The girl did not fully understand
The interviewer’s question
About pressure at the Olympics.
Tiny beside the two men,
She clutched her medal tightly,
Remembering all those days
Collecting wood and
Carrying water
From the river.
In her mind,
She could see
The smoke in the hut
As her sister cooked for them all
After their parents died.

Her eyes sparkled
And she could think
Of nothing
To say.

21st August 2008