Classic and Contemporary Poetry
WHAT'S THE SCORE?, by AMOS RUSSEL WELLS Poet's Biography First Line: It's football, baseball, auto, yacht Last Line: "the open outcome, ""what's the score?" Subject(s): Sports | ||||||||
It's football, baseball, auto, yacht, It's where men ride or shoot or row, It's golf or tennis or what not -- There's just one thing we want to know. In city, village, wilderness, On mountain-top, on ocean shore, Americans insanely press One hot inquiry, "What's the score?" And just the same where Business rules His eager minions clamorous, The rash, the prudent, sages, fools, No other fact will do for us. We do not ask his course of trade, Or fair, or tricks, or something more; But only ask how much he made, His total plunder, "What's the score?" And just the same in high reforms, Where men contend with rampant sin, And struggle in a thousand storms, And fight great foes, without, within, We do not note their zeal complete, Their patience, courage, sorrow sore; But only note success, defeat, Their patent progress, "What's the score?" In heaven other questions rise, And happily on earth some day We shall behold with clearer eyes, And measure life a better way. We shall regard how difficult And true the course men struggle o'er, Nor only ask the crude result, The open outcome, "What's the score?" | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...SPORT STORY OF A WINNER by GLYN MAXWELL WOMAN SKATING by MARGARET ATWOOD FISHING IN WINTER by RALPH BURNS CAPPER KAPLINSKI AT THE NORTH SIDE CUE CLUB by HAYDEN CARRUTH JACKIE ROBINSON by LUCILLE CLIFTON FOR THE DEATH OF VINCE LOMBARDI by JAMES DICKEY THE DEATH OF THE RACE CAR DRIVER by NORMAN DUBIE A BATTLE SONG (WRITTEN IN THE WORLD WAR) by AMOS RUSSEL WELLS |
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