Book Ten (20 September 2023)

School

Football 

Team suited 

Up for practice,

One locker stayed closed,

Uniform hooked inside,

Equipment spread on bottom.



Proud

Hektor

Put on cold,

Bloody armour,

Passed to Achilles

By his father, borrowed,

Stripped from corpse of Patroklos.



Friend,

Tongue-tied, 

Who shared room,

Classes with wrist

Injured quarterback, 

Offered support; roommate 

Pressed workout partner to play.



School's

Soccer,

Cross country

Teams, their backs to

Football team lockers,

Overheard murmurs of

Confusion with leadership.



Wise

Aias

Requested 

Menelaus:

Send Antilochos 

To report the death of 

Patroklos to Achilles.



Third

Form dorm

Boys walked down 

Stairs to basement

Locker room showers

Wearing bathrobes, holding 

Towels, hung robes, towels, turned on taps.



Coach

Addressed 

Team, two out

For season, big

Alumni weekend,

Announced JV player

Would fill slot during practice.



News

Received,

Achilles 

Mourned Patroklos'

Loss, sought revenge through 

Hektor's death, Thetis heard,

Asked Hephaestus for armour.



Backs

To tiles,

Water hit 

Shoulders, buttocks,

Hands grabbed soap bars to

Lather faces, chests, arms, 

Legs, between them, turned to rinse.



At 

Long last,

Director's 

Prescient line up 

Took shape: alumnus'

Firstborn was quarterback 

During alumni weekend.



Hands

Grabbed feet

To drag corpse,

Aiantes pushed back;

At Iris' urging,

Achilles cupped his hands

Around mouth to shout from ditch.



Boys

Lingered,

Rising steam

Obscured intent 

Of hands, soap bars, which 

Circumnavigated

Puckered, pink skin of their bodies.



Balls

Hiked to

JV spared

Quarterbacks thrown,

Aimed at massed offense 

Unknowns, overseen by

Withdrawn senior working out.



Corpse 

Washed, oiled,

Wounds sealed with 

Unguents, shrouded,

Divine ambrosia, 

Nectar fed to forestall 

Any spoilage by maggots.



One

By one,

Taps turned off,

Steam escaped, boys

Gathered to dry off 

By shower entry, their

Bathrobes rewrapped, climbed upstairs.



Games

Reserved

Uniforms

Laundered, chalk lines

Re-rolled, visitor 

Locker room repainted,

Refreshment tent assembled.



Gift

Armour

Delivered,

Anger sated,

Achilles mourned while

Gathered Achaians ate, 

Then strapped on battle metals.



School 

Vans dropped 

Visitor 

Team at gym lot,

Greeted, shown lockers,

Athletes emerged dressed for 

Play, escorted to the fields.



{18 stanzas/page} 

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