Running with Pierre Garcon
— Norbert Krapf
He wraps himself
in the flag
of his country
in victory
not as a political
statement but
to embrace and
uplift the people
who are trapped
beneath the rubble
of a catastrophe
to show he remembers
where he came from
and feels their
pain and misery
and when he
reaches for the
football many
dark hands
reach with him
and as he
hauls in the pass
without breaking
his stride many
speed across the goal
line with him
and feel with
the bare soles
of their feet
what it means to
cross standing up
to the other side
© 2010 Norbert Krapf
Posted In: Miscellaneous
2 responses to “Running with Pierre Garcon: A poem by Norbert Krapf”
Norbert, you have truly captured the soul of a man of who is buried in the rubble. You have profoundly articulated this.
Thanks! Peace, Michael O’
Thanks Norbert. Here’s a poem on another subject, less serious, but we’ve seen a lot of press on this tragedy as well.
Freeney’s Ankle
A Poem for the Colts
I know way too much
about the high sprain,
basketball sprain, ligament
damage, the chair he placed
it on for elevation. I can’t stop
reading about it, listening
to how it spells the end—
Brees breezing his way
through the game without
pressure. Too much pressure
on Freeney’s ankle so he can’t
make his spins and cuts so
the Colts are in trouble.
I dream of the swelling
going down but see him stepping
on Farvre again and again
and again and coming up
hopping in pain. I even
write poems about it. But
come on, surely the whole
damn team doesn’t rest
on one man’s glorious,
speedy, flying, furious
ankle? Can’t Payton
pick it up on offense?
No one even knew
who Kelvin Hayden
was when he swiped
Grossman’s pass the last time
to turn the game
like an ankle. Surely the Colts
can rise like young horses
and stand on their own
four ankles, even if
one of them is a little lame.