Well, yes, it is an honor,
and it shows you are able,
and a mention is better than oblivion.

But to be on that list, looking up
at the big money, the brass ring,
so close you can taste the metal in your mouth,

is bittersweet. You want to reach up and grab it,
like an Oscar from the Best Actor’s hands.
Yours was the tour-de-force, dammit.

You’re the fox, jumping for the grapes,
the also-ran, the footnote,
the Olympian, watching medallists on the dais.

They’re not playing your national anthem.
Better luck next time. Better skill next time.
Stop your whining. Sharpen those nibs and dig in.

12/05/2001

Posted on 12/05/2001
Copyright © 2024 Bruce W Niedt