Olympians Poem by Don Pearson

(i)
As we lined up,
The others looked past me.
I was no threat,
Not worthy of consideration,
In those days.
Only one smiled at me,
Despite his own nervousness.
He knew what I was feeling,
My pride at being the first from my nation
To run at the Olympics
In front of more people
Than in my whole country,
Against men known around the world,
Of whom I had read in the magazines
And seen on television.
I was there,
Running against them.
He also came from a place
Where living, not athletics, was the priority.

He won the Gold Medal and I finished last.
Yet, as I came down the home straight
The crowd stood and applauded.
As I crossed the line,
He had waited for me
And he shook my hand.
We both had the race of our lives.

(ii)
The muscle tore
As I approached the line.
I fell and lay on the track,
My dreams of glory shattered.
Another athlete ran over to me.
She wore the vest of our enemy.
She helped me to my feet
And hugged me.

(iii)
In those first days afterwards,
All I could feel was the disappointment.
Only silver. Only a silver
After all those years of work,
The fights back from injury
And all the expectations.
Looking back now,
I know that I did
The best that I could,
Performed at my peak
And lost to a world record.
Yes, I can say
To my children.
Here is the Silver Medal
That I won
In the Olympic Games.

(iv)
It was necessary,
Just to compete with them,
Let alone to win.
I had to win
And I did win.
Or so I thought
At the time.
But now, I lie here in pain
As I hear the tone
In which they say
That my record is
Beyond reach.

20th August 2008