Saturday 11 August 2012

More Gymnastics




Yusuke Tanaka
Fucked up his landing
and the punishment was severe
because suddenly Japan
who had sat in a silver shadow
for the whole game
slid to 4th.

Tanaka watched the screen
knowing it was his fault.
He gave a heavy sigh
letting air out slowly from his cheeks
like his face was a balloon that had set out
to traverse the earth
but had deflated above some rainforest
and sunk gracelessly below the treeline.

Similarly,
John Orosco did a really, really bad jump
and ruined the United States chances
of winning anything.
He looked like a child
whose prank had gone badly wrong,
breaking his kid-sister’s arm.

The United States love winning so much
while Japan are not keen on displays of emotion.
It was because of these things, I think,
rather than any difference between Orosco and Tanaka
that one sighed
and the other cried.

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