You’re Not Trying!

 

Though it was ages ago

I still remember that age of pain.

My gym teacher was also the football coach,

a former professional football player,

and every class was to him,

THE SUPER BOWL of sweat.

 

So even if you were on his team

during the football season,

afterwards you were lard rear slime,

in need of running till you puked.

 

No mercy in his eyes, no excuses for fainting

once he ran you till you couldn’t keep going,

push ups waited anyone

which stopped before he blew his whistle.

 

With him volleyball was a contact sport,

if you didn’t get a wound

you weren’t doing it right.

 

Did we really need one of his fiery speeches

just to do sit ups?

Was their logic in making us imagine

some calisthenics were as critical

as winning a homecoming game?

 

How I looked forward to football again

at least I had a helmet

to protect my head

from the times he would bounce

a roll of tape off somebody’s head

that he thought didn’t try hard enough.