What the NFL taught me this week...

1. The Eagles are good, but not as good as I thought.

• Yes, they beat a resurgent Rams team that is better than last year. Yes, the offense was hitting on most cylinders. Yes, they did put 31 points on the board. But the bottom line is, the Rams don't have a good defense, and although it seemed improved with key additions, neither do the Eagles. (and they need to answer some questions on the OL)

2. Atlanta will not be the number 1 seed this season.

• The sub-par performance against the Bears speaks for itself. For a team with 2 of the most explosive WR, they had better figure out how to put Matty Ice in a position to take advantage of it.

3. The Cowboys are actually good.

• If they could just figure out a way to get Witten off the line, off the block, and into the endzone, they should actually compete for a playoff spot.

4. Houston is a playoff team.

• They have been for the last 2 years, but an Indy team without Payton, is an AFC championship game with the Texans.

5. Pittsburgh, really?

• I mean... really?

6. The Bears aren't as bad as everyone thought.

• Still not sure what they have, but I do know that they look good. The defense, monsters, the offense, efficient. If Jay can continue to make good decisions, and the OL can stop making as many mistakes, the Bears have a shot at the Wildcard.

7. The NFC North is the best division in the NFL right now.

• With the NFC Champion, and the Super Bowl Champion last year coming from the North division, this division looks scary. The Packers, are once again dominant, dismantling the Saints in the season opener. The Bears are stout, and Detroit is a team to be reckoned with this year with an incredible DL, and a very good QB as long as he's healthy. And even the lowly Vikings were a tough loss. Look out NFC, get ready to battle

All in all it was a great opening week for Football, and they did an excellent job paying homage, but not overshadowing September 11th.

On to next week, and more surprises. But that's football.

#13 Night

What is it about a new moon?
The way it keeps the stars company,
giving them something to aspire to.
It's stingy.
Only gives half of itself on some days,
and a quarter on others.
But when it's full,
it's beautiful,
bold.
The sun is the same every day,
it shines, and goes.
Never changing.
The sun is never different.
But the moon,
the same moon,
can be new at times.
It must be fun,
to only give half,
or a quarter.
To be beautiful and
bold, sometimes.
But more importantly
to know,
that without you
there would be nothing to look forward too.

12 Rounds

I'm fighting
Dukes up,
protecting.
I have my okie-doke ready
I'm riding the ropes
prepared for the back and forth.
I'm shuffling
weaving left and right.
I'll show you my chin,
dare you to touch me,
catch me,
control the tempo.
You have thought about how you were going
to cross,
to jab,
to uppercut.
I let you do what you think you want.
I want you to wear yourself out,
chase me.
I'll slip your best shot.
And when I counter,
you'll go down.
Not because I'm better,
or stronger,
or faster.
I'm just more prepared.
While you were contemplating your moves,
I was reacting.

#11: More

It’s not you
Per se
Although you do make me happy
I think
Instead
It’s the general idea of you
That makes me smile

Word Study (1)

So I was watching "The Colbert Show," honestly one of the smartest and funniest shows on T.V. in my opinion, and Stephen Colbert had Caroline Kennedy on the show talking about a new book of poetry that she complied and edited entitled, "She Walks In Beauty." (a title taken from a Lord Byron poem if you didn't know). They recited a poem I really liked titled, "I Like Americans" by Edna St. Vincent Millay (1924):

I like Americans.
You may say what you will, they are the nicest people in the world.
They sleep with their windows open.
Their bathtubs are never dry.
They are not grown up yet. They still believe in Santa Claus.

They are terribly in earnest.
But they laugh at everything…

I like Americans.
They give the matches free…

I like Americans.
They are the only men in the world, the sight of whom in their shirt-sleeves is not rumpled, embryonic and agonizing…

I like Americans.
They carry such pretty umbrellas.
The Avenue de l’Opera on a rainy day is just an avenue on a rainy day.
But Fifth Avenue on a rainy day is an old-fashioned garden under a shower…

They are always rocking the boat.
I like Americans.
They either shoot the whole nickel, or give up the bones.
You may say what you will, they are the nicest people in the world.

I love the whimsy, the simplicity and the love in this poem. I also love how innocent and naive Americans come off in the poem. There is something to said for words that get where they are going very quickly and entice easy thoughts and a smile. This poem is however very similar to another poem written a year earlier in 1923 by Ernest Hemingway of the same name:

I like Americans.
They are so unlike Canadians.
They do not take their policemen seriously.
They come to Montreal to drink.
Not to criticize.
They claim they won the war.
But they know at heart that they didn't.
They have such respect for Englishmen.
They like to live abroad.
They do not brag about how they take baths.
But they take them.
Their teeth are so good.
And they wear B.V.D.'s all the year round.
I wish they didn't brag about it.
They have the second best navy in the world.
But they never mention it.
They would like to have Henry Ford for president.
But they will not elect him.
They saw through Bill Bryan.
They have gotten tired of Billy Sunday.
Their men have such funny hair cuts.
They are hard to suck in on Europe.
They have been there once.
They produced Barney Google, Mutt and Jeff.
And Jiggs.
They do not hang lady murderers.
They put them in vaudeville.
They read the Saturday Evening Post
And believe in Santa Claus.
When they make money
They make a lot of money.
They are fine people.

Now you can tell that one is clearly influenced by the other, but the thing about the Hemingway joint is that it dates itself, and I'm not ashamed to say I had to google some of the names in it to gather the full weight of the poem. But I think every poet has to have works that transcend, works that you can read any where and any time, and they will still be relevant. But I think that all poets have to create poems that serve as time capsules, poems that force the readers of the future to look up what they are talking about to understand. It's the job of the poet to make the reader think, laugh, reflect, but it's also his job to educate.

Blocked...

So I've come to the point where I have been a little blocked. I received a suggestion from a friend, and accomplished poet in his own right, to start reading more. I took this too heart. I have about 5 books that I have started and not finished, including a book of short stories I picked up last summer that is water-proof for pool reading. I've started to work my way through it, read about 3 of the stories, one of which was really good, and all that have different writing styles that have given me good ideas. What I'm also starting to realize is that I am a horrible poet. Poets know other poets, can quote them, are well versed in them, steal their ideas, try to write their poems, fail horribly, and become better poets because of it. So in addition to posting new poetry as a part of my 50 poems in a year challenge, I think I'm going to start doing some poetry analysis or just posting poems that I find that you might have heard of or might not have in an effort to make myself stay disciplined in my craft. That was a bit of a run on I think, but we'll call it poetic license. Anywho, this is more for myself to learn more about my fellow poets, lawyers know cases, doctors know studies, and I shall know poems.

#10: The Last Leg

Sometimes
I feel
The only thing I've ever completed
Is this poem.
Even that's still...