In recognition of National Poetry Month, I'm back with another poem!! I wrote this for the "Orange" challenge at FaithWriters.com, and while it is fiction, it's based on my husbands very real passions for his favorite color and his favorite team. Enjoy!
PLAY ME THAT TIGER RAG
"The game you're attending
Depends on one hue;
Wear it; proclaim it,
At all costs to you.
"Do not don a t-shirt
Of red or of black!
You must wear the Orange
Or risk an attack.
"The Tigers of Clemson
Are king of this day;
The orange and purple -
They WILL have their way!"
I scoured my closet;
A tiger I sought;
The closest to orange --
A pale apricot.
(I did this because it's
My husband's one passion.
I rarely buy orange, see
It's not quite my fashion.)
I put on the t-shirt
And strode to the kitchen;
Where hubby awaited
Just itchin' to pitch in.
Although I'd been told,
and my brain is not lame,
I listened with poise
As he said it again:
"The snacks and the drinks,
Hon, they cannot be scorned;
Be clever; inventive!
Pumpkin pie! Candy corn!
"Is it orange? Then yes,
It will be most accepted.
Bring Cheetoes, Doritos.
Faux pas? Soon detected."
Do I need reminding
Of consequence grim,
If I make a fool of
Big tiger fan him?
On this, my first trip
To his old college haunts,
He can't be subjected
To his buddy's taunts.
We can't take my car,
See, it's bright cherry-red,
So we pack up his pick-up,
It's full steam ahead.
Stuck to his truck with
Mechanical claws
Are flags of bright orange
Decked out with white paws.
We pull in the lot
To a welcome of cheers;
His friends are all jumping
And waving their beers
Hubby hops out and
Heads straight for our ice chest
While I contemplate
If I failed my first test.
I open my door and
Step out on the dirt,
Straighten my shoulders
And smooth out my shirt.
One look at his face
When he pulls from the ice
A bright can of soda
Says this won't be nice.
"Um, honey, is this
What you brought us to drink?
What were you thinking?
Did you even think?
"This is football, a tailgate!
Have you lost your mind?
I knew that I should have
Just left you behind."
I take a deep breath
And I say, "But my dear,
You gave me instructions;
You made them quite clear.
"I see that you're mad,
But I know you're no lush.
You said just one hue
So I brought Orange Crush."
(c) 2010
Be sure to visit Sara at Fiction Fusion for more Friday Fiction!
Catrina Bradley
"God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes." Psalm 18:24 (Msg)
