The 2018 Winter Olympics are a week from opening Pyeongchang, South Korea. In North America, it’s Groundhog Day. 

Here, we laugh at silly ritual

by which we say, a rodent

tells the weather

ahead, either long weeks more

of snow, cold, dark, or softly

spring come early, budding.

 

Meanwhile, in a mountain town

gathered from the world, the strong

the swift, the bright and agile

take their place, each in their colours

draped in the most benign face

of each country’s pride, they sport

for us, and wear the glory lightly.

 

We pretend, and by these proxy wars

give tongue to virtue of combat

one on one, and team by team

alight with common purpose.

 

We are soft animals, all of us

in our dens or  painted towers

asleep in dormitories, training

for the task of winning light, or

sleeping close, beneath the frost

in tune with the Great

Mother’s breath, and rising

to look out, in hopes of green.

 

The image on this page is from Pixabay.com. They provide an array of amazing Creative Commons licensed images. This one is from Public Domain Pictures