Enga mellom fjella

Listen to the rhythm of the chain gang

Listen to the rhythm of the chain gang

One inch short; one inch long.
Mark a first down; laugh with scorn
         ... but don't be wrong.
Define a score; deny a victory.
What's more:
defy the coach's argument.

The referees are always right.
The referees control with might
the gang that moves the chains
down-up, up-down, across
green fields of autumn dreams.

[164.275] 2007-10-05

Even my brother-in-law Mark (Back East) noticed Kansas' win yesterday. Today the Jayhawks are ranked #20. The above poem came out of a moment when they barely made a 1st down by an inch. One inch the other way and the outcome could've been different. Of course, there are more important things in life than winning but sports can be used as metaphors of daily life.

At Z's. Got to talk to the mother of the barista about how she had to deal with reality growing up on a Kansas farm. She also mentioned hip-hop as a way to memorize information for the SATs, etc. That makes perfect sense to me. Poetry has always been used to transmit information person to person, generation to generation.

Spoke with Erin Nix who is a graduate student in the Religious Studies department here at the University of Kansas.

When I visit Missoula for a week I will be looking for similar interactions. If not, there is no reason to move there.

On slang and it's value:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/10/04/talk_amongst_yourselves/

IMAGES:

Grey sky drizzle, jay with something in its beak, the flitter and flutter of sparrows and wrens. A yellow leaf on the elm ...

Kansas: 77 degrees and drizzly.

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