Let The Sochi Winter Games Begin

   After all the concern over terrorist attack, the Winter Olympics at Sochi have begun; this poet is still in a state of wonderment over the artistry of the first event. Problems at the venue like hacking into cell phones, iPads and laptops and accommodations are with us probably just like every Olympics in the last 20 years. Bob Costas remarks on Putin as a "peacemaker" have raised some eyebrows, but lets give him a break NBC needs the viewers to recover the money paid to televise so a little controversy and hype is ok by me, especially if during Games, MSNBC is forced to depart from its non stop bashing of Chris Christie and spends some time on the Games--A miracle--Do your part and watch!

Sochi Winter Games

The ancient Greeks really had it right, during their Olympics wars came to a truce

We all know today what happens when the gods of cause during Olympics are set loose

Berlin, Mexico City, Munich are prime examples when the Gold is not wreaths but Mars

And the winds of the Furies kick the doors of reason and peace too far ajar

We witness at Sochi the lighting of the Olympic flame

Amidst security concerns, we pray the winds of hate are tamed

Costas among the commentators of sports is truly a saint or at least a dean

But less so when he leaves that arena and strays to the political scene

Redskins or the NRA are surely subject to debate but while the contests play?

We all will still be here with opinions, so Bob, save it for another day

Putin may or may not be a peacekeeper worthy of our acclaim and toasts

Not the time nor place to discuss the role and standing of our Olympic host

This poet stands mute and waits with baited breath for the games to begin

Matters not who loses, falters, spills, crashes, misses a gate or blessed finds a way to  win

Only that the efforts are within the rules, the judges impartial to their inner core

That the athletes and visitors are safe and no one is driven to even an imagined score

The doves of peace may not be flying into the cold Sochi winter skies

But this earth can breathe easier when during this truce, peace and harmony is what we try

This poet in his inner iambic being cheers not U.S.A., U.S.A., but for Humanity 101

Cheers despite the worries and the fears, the Winter Games have just begun.

© February 7, 2014 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet