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Poetry: On poems

by Carson Quinn

Don't say you saw a sports game; say you saw a football game
Or a baseball game, a swim meet or a soccer match.
Don't tell me that he ran;
That's what anyone can plan;
Say he sprinted, darted, pursued, or flew by with a dash.

Don't say the jerseys the players wore were colorful;
They were a bright brick red with streaks of pure white;
White flowed like a river
Leading to an ice-cream lake of shivers
And revealed itself just like a brand new flashlight.

Don't tell me that the air was sweet with fragrance;
Say it smelled of minted grass and players sweat;
Don't say you felt the soccer ball
Name the beat that it had called
And how the light showed how the ball met with the net.

Don't say the supporting crowd were all cheering;
Mention the ref's whistle, screaming for attention;
Picture parents constant cheering
To the team that score by hearing
While the coach takes players out to get a rest then.

Don't use a word that's good for all the senses
There's a word for every feeling one can feel.
If you want your lines terrific;
Then do make your words specific,
For words can paint a picture that is real.

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