some thought me out of place
in black Western hat
& red gambler's vest
long hair a horizontal tangle
aloft in the jet stream behind
thought me better depicted
a bow tie dandy
would-be lady's man
better with turn of phrase
than turn of heel
but at the Olympic trials
doubt was wind resistance,
superflua to be jettisoned;
for weak member of the team
faithful observation impeded
ice hissed & sparked into a cloud
speeding down the course
cloaking a young reporter (or poet)
working an alternate version
first proposed skydiving
but free fall too near "free will"
gave way to the more strenuous
cross-country
before finally settling on ski jump
at the instant my vehicle left the track
at a certain stage of a downhill race
any likeness will do
September 2011