I wrote this poem in February 2024 as a tribute to a sport that I have come to love: curling. The sport itself is way more demanding than it appears on television, and yet at the end of the day, I keep playing. After 14 years, one has to love and respect the sport and the curlers who play. And of course, there is the social side…
Curling – the game of rocks, rings, hits and draws
One can even steal without proving probable cause
This Ode to curling is written with the game to explain
For many this Ode is part of our eminent domain
Curling is a game like chess played on the ice
And it demands skill given the need to be so precise
It is a team game that depends on the efforts of all
And if one is careless, it may lead to a fall
It starts with the ice for we need it pebbly smooth
It’s both a science and an art to make ice that soothes
We scrape and pebble, and then keep it clean
Perfect ice is with a curl and a surface with sheen
The game begins with handshakes amongst the teams
Even as they visualize shots made only in dreams
There are four to a team with Lead, Second, Third and Skip
The aim is to score more points without any blips
With the Skip pointing their broom and the Lead in the hack
All are primed to throw rocks with no further wisecracks
The rocks may be thrown to guard or to draw in the rings
Or to take out the other rocks with all kinds of zing
To guard means to place the rock atop the rings
To draw means to throw to the button or into the wings
To throw through a port requires some finesse
To take out a rock may cause the others to acquiesce
There will be yelling with ‘hurry’ and ‘hard’ the most common
But there may be those perfect shots that end with ‘amen’
The sweeping is done by two folks with their brooms
They may be brushing so hard, they’re left breathing fumes
The call by the Skip is made after much calculation
With the hope that the shot will lead to celebration
The thrower must throw the right weight and be aligned
As otherwise the team may find itself in a tight bind
An inch or less makes all the difference in this game
A miss and one’s cursing; a shot made may mean fame
Of course, at the Club, the winners buy the first round
Then all gather to tell curling stories that will further astound.