King in the Cage (a poem)

King in the Cage

Started April 8th, 2011

Finished April 20th, 2011

The whistle blows

And my team breaks

Positioning themselves

I jog alone

To the end of the field

Into the cage

A solitary monument

That I must guard

Without yield

The game is nigh

The ball; the Prize

Tossed high

The players; the Pieces

They surge forward

A wave of bodies

Crashing across the field; the Board.

My eyes flicker to and fro

Evaluating, taking in the scenes

I pick out the Pieces

Separating Bishops and Queens

From Pawns

The Queens, they are fast

Versatile and confident

When they shoot

I; the King, must be prepared

The Pawns, they come in last

Quiet and unsure too

I don’t think about them much

When they shoot, if they do

They’ll miss

Or give it right into my clutch.

I can tell by how they move

How they hold themselves

And handle their sticks;

Their Swords

Who I should watch for tricks

And who I should mostly ignore

The Queens, they sprint

And never tire

They dodge and push through

The weak links of defense

A burning fire

Their Sword is just another part of them

Another arm, perhaps an extension

They drive hard

Remembering others they have scarred

Fearlessness in their eyes

I know them well

I will study them

Learn their tricks

I will have the element of surprise.

They may think of me

As a sleeping beast

Curled up in my cave

Hiding behind the team;

My Army

And that I won’t make a save

But I always have one eye open

The army is under my command

I am a King

And Kings don’t move much

But we are the most important piece

And when we strike

It’s always deadly.

You approach me now,

Getting too close for comfort

I’m ready, waiting

You start your plays;

Your Strategies

But I’m one step ahead

From my vantage point

I see everything

My army only gets glimpses

This is why I am King

You glare as I call out your trick

I’ve been watching, I know

I’m ready, waiting.

There is a break,

Here’s her chance

The Queen, she rushes me

I take my stance

Her Sword ready to kill

I call for my Army

They crash on my command

Denying her crushing advance

We work as one

Separated into many

I am their eyes

And they are my feet

Don’t come to our Board

If you’re unprepared

Of you we’ll make a quick defeat

Come ready

Or be ready to retreat.

She is smart

She is cunning

Commanding the Army

While the King is behind

She is strong; her skills stunning

I can see it in her eyes

The way she runs

Her pride is damaged

And she wants her Prize

She watches my Army

As I’ve been watching her

She knows where we dominate

She’s found where we slur

She leads the offense

On another attack

Dodging through my defense

Looking not at my Pawns

But the spaces where their presence lacks

I yell but it’s too late

She stands before me

A glorious warrior in her prime

Wielding a Sword that holds my fate.

The look in her eyes

Wild and furious

She’s pinned her prey

Winding up for her final blow

I watch her eyes and body

Judging where her shot will go

The moment she snaps

Firing at me the prize

On the streak of yellow are my eyes

I’m waiting, ready

She thought I was sleeping

Hiding in my cage

But I am no easy prey,

I’m wide awake and in a rage

I lunge as the world holds its breath

All eyes on me

Will I defend my life

Or meet a certain death?

I swing my Sword

Sharp and fatal with its bite

The hilt flashing in a blur

Gleaming in the sunlight.

The Prize; the ball

Crashes in my mesh;

My Sword

Stopped from cutting into my Army

From tearing our flesh

The crowd roars

My army cheers

The Queen is spitting angry

A simultaneous sigh

Emitted from her peers.

I have claimed the Prize

I run it up the Board

The King is on the move

Bringing the enemy’s fear to a rise

I am fast and nimble

Though I’m armed to the teeth

To my Rook

My Prize I bequeath

And she takes it away

I watch the advance

Bodies dance and sway

My Bishop takes it

And my Queen cuts in

Ready for the kill

Passed off to her, she spins

And takes a swing

The Prize hits the net

Behind the King

Another goal; it must sting.

My Army and I,

We are ready to fight

In the blistering sun or pouring rain

We are not afraid of the mud

I have learned to take the pain

And rub some dirt into it

Call me crazy, call me insane

I love what I do

And I don’t complain.

You were warned to come ready and on your feet

Else you would face a quick, humiliating defeat.

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This is a poem written from a goalie's point of view about a lacrosse game. It also compares lacrosse to chess. I am a lacrosse goalie, and proud of it!