Paralympic Poems

Am I excited about the Paralympic Games? I cried watching the Brazilian Paralympic team come into the stadium for the Opening Ceremonies. (That was the only part of the opening ceremonies that I saw...I probably would have cried for all of it.)

In the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, poetry was inscribed on a wall in the Athletes Village to inspire them. A Tennyson favorite was chosen:

That which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

Another one that was suggested that I particularly liked was this bit by Longfellow:

The heights by great men reached and kept
Were not attained by sudden flight,
But they, while their companions slept,
Were toiling upward in the night.

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I'm sharing poems today by Priscila Uppal of Canada, written for the London 2012 Paralympics.

Rules of the Republic of Paralympic
by Priscila Uppal

At customs, officials welcome passports by cheers.

Everyone you encounter is immediately identified numerically
according to level of ability.

Roads are sectioned into individual lanes.

Paperwork is filed by relay.

Pain: an unlimited resource used for fuel.

read the rest here

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Afterwards
by Priscila Uppal

After the canoes and kayaks have been lifted out
of the water, the painted lines on fields and courts erased,
the nets lowered, the bicycles sent for tune-ups, the scoreboards
reprogrammed, the trunks and singlets tossed in the wash,
sneakers unlaced, pools drained, gloves hung, mats soaked
in vinegar, the show jumps dismantled, ticket stubs
recycled, the starting blocks stored, hurdles stacked,
concession stands closed down.

read the rest here

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A post about the Paralympics from July

The Poem Farm has the Poetry Friday round-up. Thanks, Amy!