by Haiku Bob
round 5 – the middle distance
Anzac Day defeat staring into the middle distance
cold snap
the empty space
where our ruckman used to be
swirling breeze
Pendlebury splits the pack
with a fake
sudden downpour
interrupting
our flow
thunderheads roll in
one kick then another
slewed into the stands
rain-heavy sky
one more goal
and we’re home…
almost nightfall
a boy kicks
the winning goal
home from a crushing loss taking out the garbage
waking from a dream thud of the morning paper
About rob scott
Rob Scott (aka Haiku Bob) is a peripatetic haiku poet who calls Victoria Park home. He writes haiku in between teaching whisky and drinking English, or something like that.
Bob,
when you say “where our ruckman used to be” do you mean Len Thompson,Peter Moore or Damian Monkhorst? Just wondering.
Phil,
All of the above. We’ve been blessed with ruckmen in my lifetime – Thommo’s ankle guards are my first memory of the game. Until the current incumbent. Not his fault. He’s as slender as a ghost gum. And as pale. To me, he’s always been the world’s tallest half-forward flanker. But never been played there. The coach is at issue. Been indifferent to ruckman all along. Evidenced by recruiting McKee, playing Jason Cloke, Cox and now Leroy Brown there at different times. Forget the absence of Rocca, 2003 may have been different if we’d had a Thommo or a Monkey, or even big Wes Fellowes in the middle. Josh was smashed all over the ground – in some ways, has never recovered.
So, anyway, all I did with the haiku was contrast this lean spell with a spell of cold weather.
Thanks for asking.
Cheers,
Rob.
Bob,
agree. Mick Horsburgh, Stuart Atkin, Matthew Francis, Glenn McLean and Geoff Pritchard were better ruckmen than Josh. It’s not the boy’s fault. He should be played across half forward. 50-50 Mick has a lot to answer for. Thankfully his time is coming.