Winter Olympic Gold Poem by C Richard Miles

So we went and won a medal in the Winter Olympics
With gold in the skeleton, as Amy Williams' slick tricks
Outslid the opposition on the hair-raising quick track
As she sped her sled to first position racing on that switchback.

She diced so nicely with the ice and shattered the course record
And maddened the Canadians who hoped that she'd come second;
The lass from Bath zipped faster than a zapped flash of lightning
As she whistled past in Whistler in a dash almost frightening.

For thirty years we'd waited since the skater, Robin Cousins,
Had figured in his victory and set the nation buzzing
But, as over-warm Vancouver hosts the best of every nation,
The snow we bore this winter might have been the inspiration.

So, as we battle through to work in thigh-high drifts and blizzards,
Let's not complain that snow's a pain that winter's wicked wizard
Has dealt us for a spell to irk commuters and communities
But let us get our skates on so we don't miss opportunities.

We'll raid packed attics through the land for sledges and toboggans
To build our skills for thrills and spills that we have long forgotten
And as we practise winter sports and press on with our training
Let's just be grateful for the cold, and glad that it's not raining.

Yet, if this Winter's a one-off and climate change continues,
You still can find your inner child that's hiding deep within you
To take delight in snowball fights, don't gripe or grouse or grumble
That you might slip if there's no grit so you might take a tumble.

And, if you think the skating rink is best to be avoided,
Encourage kids who bid to skid, so they're not disappointed,
For we might raise more champions with more determination
To go for gold and cheat the cold in our deep-frozen nation.