August 08, 2008

A Swing and A Miss, and An Epic Beginning

The other night, this was on the TV. After a "what the heck was THAT!?" moment, I realized this little piece of animated goodness is the BBC's tribute to the Olympics in Beijing.


BBC's Monkey is apparently based on a traditional Chinese folklore Journey to the West, and is actually pretty cool for an icon whose destiny it is to be made into a plush doll.

All the Olympic madness brought to mind playing games -- and a poem about a favored American game in the spring and summertime.

Assignment #1: Write a poem about Baseball and God


by Philip E. Burnham, Jr

(from Housekeeping: Poems Out of the Ordinary)

And on the ninth day, God

In His infinite playfulness

Grass green grass, sky blue sky,

Separated the infield from the outfield,

Formed a skin of clay,

Assigned bases of safety


On cardinal points of the compass

Circling the mountain of deliverance,

Fashioned a wandering moon

From a horse, a string and a gum tree,

Tempered weapons of ash,


~ find the rest of this poem here.

Assignment #1: Write a poem about Baseball and God, by Philip E. Burnham, Jr. from Housekeeping: Poems Out of the Ordinary. © Ibbetson Street Press, 2005. Poetry Friday is at Beck's Book Reviews, so join the game!

9 comments:

Sara said...

So where exactly are those bases of safety? Some days, I need to know.

What kind of Olympic coverage will you get? Less commercial, I hope.

jama said...

Wonderful poem. Loved it. The monkey was very strange, though . . .

Elaine Magliaro said...

Great poem selection. I must admit I don't get excited over the Olympics any longer. Besides, the network coverage here is awful.

Anonymous said...

I love "infinite playfulness." Thanks for this!

Mary Lee said...

PERFECT pairing of video and poem. Huzzah!

Anonymous said...

I like the winter sports so much better than the summer stuff. (I don't really care for swimming or track & field or basketball or marathons, although gymnastics and diving is fine. But I'm a HUGE sucker for watching ski jump and luge and bobsled and curling and skating.)

Loved the poem, though.

tanita✿davis said...

I'm not a fan of the Olympics at all. I don't believe in the idea of a nation's pride being tied up in pushing the very young and the very thin beyond their endurance. Though there are amazing stories that come out of these games, of endurance and overcoming obstacles to arrive, there are also some pretty dark things lurking that have to do with human nature, and the drive to win -- and driving others. I do like playing games, though, and finding 'Base,' and coming home at the end.

Andromeda Jazmon said...

I love this baseball/God poem. It's brilliant!

I admit to enjoying watching the eye candy of the Olympics even as I feel guilty for the overwhelming cost to the athletes, the people of China, and the environment. It becomes obscene when one really looks closely and realizes it is orchestrated to sell us more of what is already choking us. That said, it is still beautiful and amazing what they have done.

eisha said...

That poem is awesome. What a brilliant idea.

I get conflicted about the olympics too, but some of those competitors just slay me with their talent and drive.