Colors in the Wind

The winter cold, returned, went on and on,
The skies a stubborn mass of evil gray.
More flowers bloomed, and yet the sun was gone,
While misty rains and chill wind ruled the day.

And yet within Ye Olde Academy
The atmosphere was nowhere so morose,
The moistened halls filled with activity,
For the Sports Festival was drawing close.

The vigor double strong yet bittersweet;
The memory of last year lingered strong,
For tragedy torpedoed last year's fete,
When youthful play went terribly wrong.

But as we worked, the rain would not let up.
The playing field became a mass of goo.
The fear was real we'd have to give it up,
As the 29th nearer drew.

Yet on that day, like a miracle,
We woke to blue skies and a warming sun.
A crowd amassed to see the spectacle,
A sigh of relief blew from everyone.

I don't know why, but the start was delayed.
A brassy fanfare rent the air at last,
But "Stars and Stripes Forever" wasn't played,
Because the entrance march went strangely fast.

Each of the six teams took its proper place
Upon the field as the excitement grew,
Each team led by a flag, its colored face
Of yellow, green, purple, red, white, or blue.

The pomp began in earnest, loud and grand,
Tradition kept as solid as a rock,
And then the Principal assumed the stand
And took the mike to give his usual talk.

We figured he would talk about the weather
Or, as he often does, philosophy.
Instead, in tones as light as a feather,
He spoke about last year's tragedy.

He said the name of the boy who died
And asked us to remember where and how
It happened, young dreams on the field denied,
And young life taken, just a memory now.

He asked us for a minute of silence
In honor of the boy, and we complied.
Then suddenly the wind blew with great violence,
And all six team flags stretched out flat and wide.

I thought it strange, yet no one paid attention;
Maybe they had too much inside their heads.
The Principal made only passing mention
And talked about the nice weather instead.

The opening was finished as was prudent,
With that old radio warm-up routine,
And then the fired-up throng of eager students
Scattered in a cacophony of screams.

I watched the first event, a simple race,
And then I went inside to write this post.
I do not need the sunburn on my face,
And this year's event has one too many ghosts.

NOTE: I apologize for the lack of pictures, but I was specifically ordered by the Principal not to post photos of school functions on this blog. It's a shame, too, because the team mascots are great this year. Team A (yellow) made a fantastic Big Bird costume with crepe paper feathers. Team B's (green) Mike Wazowski from Monsters, Inc. and Team C's (purple) Daisy Duck were pretty amazing, too. Team F (blue, my team) had a Dumbo mascot that would've been good if it had been an average year but seemed a bit pale and sad in comparison with most of the others. The weakest entry was that of Team E (white), which I guess was a character from a Japanese manga or anime, but I couldn't figure it out, and it didn't meet the competition. On the other hand, the one that impressed me the most was the entry from Team D (red), which was a red steam locomotive character from Thomas the Tank Engine complete with working wheels and drive shafts. The dance costumes and backboards look pretty good compared with most years, too. I guess the kids are making up for last year's cancellation by making a double effort. I'll probably watch the afternoon competitions, but now it's time for lunch.