Book Nine (29 August 2023)

Guest

Offense

Blocked, passes 

Fumbled, defense 

Scored ball turnovers,

Home team herded guest team 

Players goal post to goal post.





Trapped

Between

Ships and ditch,

Trojans struck down,

Sarpedon speared by

Patroklos, Apollo 

Sent Sleep, Death, carried off corpse.





Leaps

Side stepped 

Stealth taggers,

Throws eluded

Carefully plotted

Assaults, quarterbacks, pressed,

Zig zagged along sidelines.





First,

Second,

Third down, home

Team advance slowed

Unexpectedly 

By superior guest

Team blocking yards from end zone.





Three

Attempts,

Patroklos

Broke his promise 

To Achilles by

Climbing wall, Apollo 

Battered him back with warning.





Pure

Chance had

School's former,

Team quarterbacks

Facing each other 

Across the quad without 

Mask of protective helmets.





4th

And ten,

Punt opted,

Ball snapped, punter 

Took three steps, drop kicked 

To punt returner who 

Ran around tacklers down field.





Charged

Three times,

Apollo

Struck Patroklos

On fourth from behind,

Knocked helmet off, scattered

Shield, spear, left him defenseless. 




His

Sweater

Pulled off, tossed

Toward dorm master,

Starting quarterback

Scored touchdowns end zone to

Opposite end zone three times.





Points

Scored bought 

Second-string 

Quarterback play,

Fourth and long, ball clutched,

Wrist, pivoted for throw,

Snapped when linebacker sacked him.





A

Trojan,

Euphorbos,

Launched javelin

Between the shoulders 

Of Patroklos, Hektor 

Then speared him through his stomach.




Thoughts 

Forward,

Team's starting 

Quarterback ran

Backwards, made his pass,

Heel hit exposed edge of 

Slate, stumbled, twisted ankle.





School's 

Soccer 

Team won game,

Tongue-tied, headed

To football field, found

His roommate, wrist held, friend,

Walking toward infirmary.




Sprawled,

Naked,

Patroklos'

Corpse, protected

By Menelaus

From Hektor, who plotted 

Feeding it to Trojan dogs.




Right

Foot bared,

Ligament 

Tear diagnosed,

Supine quarterback, 

Attended by doctor,

Coach, ended football season. 





Cross

Country 

Teammates set

Fast start, stayed in

Group formation to 

Support each other for 

Interscholastic event.





Strong

Aias

Paired up with 

Menelaus,

Protector Glaukos 

Chastised Hektor for his

Abandoning Sarpedon.





His

Football 

Team members 

Carried meal trays,

Books between classes,

Helped with errands after

Sunday's unforeseen fallout. 




{18 stanzas/page}

















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