Friday, September 14, 2007

Cold As Ice





After the Game


You're as cold as ice

You're willing to sacrifice our love


We sat in the small-town burger barn

and the song played over the speakers.

Coach nodded and started singing along,

"You never take advice

Someday you'll pay the price

I know
"


It was commentary on the game,

and perhaps on the season,

"I've seen it before

It happens all the time

You're closing the door
"


Her sing-along trickled off then,

because it wasn't about love and the world,

just about the trials and tribulations

of coaching high-school girls, and

the all-too-human frustration

of trying to shape a successful team

from a mixed-bag of kids, talented and not,

all with more on our minds than volleyball.

Some lines were a cathartic release from

the sting of another loss,

"You're digging for gold

Yet throwing away,
"

the lyrics accused even as they were

wrapped in a smile

shared across the table of burgers and fries.


By the end,

"But someday you'll pay

Cold as ice, you know that you are,
"

the bitterness faded from Coach's voice.


She sipped the last of her soda,

shaking the red plastic glass of crushed ice

and smiled at us, at the team,

and started planning tomorrow's drills.





[Cold As Ice by Foreigner really did play in a small-town burger joint where I sat across from the volleyball coach, commiserating a loss. More than once.]

6 comments:

Joan said...

Hello, Michele, sent me (wink)

I grew up in Western Ma. small world.
I love your rememberances of your great aunt, it made me feel as if I knew her... the markings of a great writer that you did that... thank you.

http://shadesofjoan.typepad.com/

sister AE said...

Thanks, Joan. I'm flattered.

Pat said...

Thanks for visiting. I really enjoyed the band - great voices and guitar.

sister AE said...

Thanks, Pat. But after having thought about this and written the poem and finding the video - now I can't get it out of my head!

GoGo said...

Nicely done. I appreciated the mix of song and commentary.

~GoGo

sister AE said...

Hi, GoGo. Thank you.