Poetry

It’s That Time of Year

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos

Looking at March Madness through the eyes of John Wooden

John Wooden would what others wouldn’t.
Truth be told, the others couldn’t

match his record through the years
earned by practice, sweat and tears.

Competition, he’d attest,
fuels the best to stand the test.

That’s the reason Coach kept on.
Hope for him was never gone.

Lew Alcindor and Bill Walton
learned the lessons Coach had taught ’em.

Like the fact that discipline
means far more than just a win.

Or the truth that self control
makes a gifted player whole.

There were poems he’d recite
that were fun but never trite.

Faith in Christ, Coach boldly claimed,
shaped the way he coached each game.

Shaped the way he’d build guys up
when they drank from failure’s cup.

Shaped the way he helped them see
teamwork leads to victory.

That is why he loves March Madness
with its joy and with its sadness.

And at nearly ninety-six,
Coach still needs his yearly fix.

Waiting for what lies in store,
he will watch the Final Four

The Ultimate Awards Ceremony

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos

Why Academy recognition pales in comparison

Grammys and Oscars,
Emmys and such
are little gold trophies that say
“It’s glitz and it’s glamour
that matter the most.
That’s the currency Hollywood pays.

But standing on stage
or recording a song
or landing a sought-after part
Means little in life
when it’s all said and done.
What’s important is what’s in your heart.

The bucks may be big
and the fame may be fast.
But what fun is playing a role?
Your purpose on earth
is to be who YOU are
and with Christ to live life to the full.

While “the envelope please”
will one day be heard
when God reads aloud who has won,
it will not require
that you be a star,
just that you have accepted His Son.

A Lasting Lesson from Torino

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos

Remembering what one snowboarder is trying to forget

Seems she got a little cocky
right before the finish line.
Just a hot dog spreading relish
thinking “Hey, it’s showboat time!”

She had gold within her pocket
if she’d only played it straight.
But she didn’t have it in her
so we watched her bow to fate.

Like the Good Book says quite clearly,
there’s a price to pay for pride.
When you try to land your snowboard,
you will likely flip and slide.

That’s a lesson from Torino
that we should not soon forget.
Unrestrained and spendthrift egos
tend to lead to needless debt.

Barney of Mayberry

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos

Taking time to cry for one who made us laugh

Andy’s tailor alters his only suit
transforming it from a wedding one
to one befitting a funeral.

Gomer’s pile of discarded Kleenex
grows more mountain-like
by the moment.

It’s all because Barney’s fife
remains in its case
having sounded its last note.

The community band
of trumpets and tubas,
of clarinets and flutes
will never seem the same.

Yes, Mayberry’s loveable deputy
has turned in his badge for good.
The carefree tar-heel town
is jailed by sorrow today.

Aunt Bea and Otis
and Goober and Floyd
are searching in vain for the key.

It’s no wonder
Mayberry’s resident whistler is silent.
Even Opie’s at a loss for words.
But then, so are the rest of us.

Those big bulging eyes
and high piercing voice
won our innocent hearts
in a much simpler time.

But that was then
and now is now.

The death of Don knots our guts.
It lumps our throats.
The one who made us laugh so loud
now causes us to cry.

Peace to your memory, Barn.

Gas-aholics Anonymous

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos

Acknowledging our dependence is the first of many steps

Okay let’s admit it.
We’re gas-aholics.
We crave Saudi oil.
Without it, we’re sick.

We guzzle at gas pumps.
We can’t get enough.
But feeding our habit
is costly. It’s rough.

Our Arab bartender
keeps raising the price.
He knows our addiction,
yet still aids our vice.

With devilish glee
he keeps urging us on
to get fully tanked
till our sanity’s gone.

We need to get sober.
We know it. We must.
But who’s there to help us.
Just who can we trust?

We drunks need each other.
We can’t quit alone.
We don’t have the energy
left to our own.

Recovery’s essential
through solar or corn.
We must find new sources.
We must be reborn.

So let’s take 12 steps
toward the goal to be free
from the bondage of oil.
We must find the key.