Ultimate is not

I heard a tail from a marvellous man
Telling me "Ultimate is" and "Ultimate can"
I want to add a riposte where he may have erred and forgot
Let me add my lot to emphasise what Ultimate is not.

Ultimate is not what you imagined initially
The summation of students sauntering hippy-ly
Much more it is moulded of athletes competing
Jumping and throwing and diving and sprinting.

Ultimate is not a game for canines though we aren't exclusive
Any human  we find who wishes to join can pursue this
We've an open division, for all to enjoy
We also play mixed - half girl and half boy

A women's division to cap off this list
Except for masters, to prove we're not ageist
Whatever you play, you can compete to the A-list
Reach highlight reels that'll make you famous.

Ultimate is not easy to start, but it is to improve
If you have the heart and you find your groove
We all started struggling, trying to find feet
By drilling and training until it's time to compete.

Ultimate is not to be written off, not 'til you've seen
What can be achieved with plastic and dreams
Until you understand that it's more than the sport
It's the community and heart that holds this fort.

Ultimate is not like anything that you've known
Until you see your own first smooth disc thrown
There's a very good reason your friend got hooked
And is playing with plastic every time that you've looked.

Ultimate is not easy. Ultimate is not for wimps
It is not played  by dogs or cats or chimps
It's played by people. It's played with respect
This disc-sport is catching, and bound to infect.

Ultimate is not something I can really take lightly
Yes, the name's stupid, I take the jokes politely
But it repays effort and kindness like nothing else I do
Ultimate *is* for me. Don't just assume Ultimate is not for you


Poem referenced in first line is by Chris 'Jaff' Martin, and can be found here - 
https://soundcloud.com/abolish-minutes/ultimate-is

(Being published early due to printing issues)

Olympics

Let me say right now, I love the Olympics
Just give me a chance to say why, real quick

That we should definitely care that it's not fair
On all the locals who happen to live there
That corruption is present in the organisation
But let's instead focus on athletic participation

Yes, it's fantastic inspiring and all that
How quickly a human can cycle round a track
There's real beauty and elegance and it's really cool
How they swim and dive into an oversized pool
Athletes perform feats that astound and amaze
A treat to repeat for weeks and days

And trust me, I know, more than you'd expect
What athletes give up the achieve these effects
I'm way way behind, but I've been given a glimpse
Of the cost to be paid to stand on the plinths
The dedication required, the sacrifice needed
The tears they've shed, the blood they've bleeded
The hours the days to advance through the fold
All just to play for a chance at the gold

I do love that. I admire it so very much.
But, that isn't the only thing to love as such.

The Olympics is one of the only times, we as a nation
Get to admire the huge range of innovation
That comes from every corner of our little globe
We have to respect every costume, kit, and robe
On our screens, for just a short little while
Costumes are creative, accents versatile
Through this competition, we see our rivals
New respect is formed, makes its arrival
It's far from the norm, but certainly nice
So enjoy it while it lasts - that's my advice.

The Next Era

It finally happened. The end of the world.
Well, take my hand.
Join me, as we enter the next era of humanity...

I not gonna pretend it's gonna have as many comforts
It's gonna take some heart, gonna take some guts
We've gotta learn from the mistakes we made
As humanity's errors begin to pale and fade

We've been granted a reprieve
No time to sit and grieve
Time to earn our stay
Before we're sent on our way

No longer must we assume our place on this Earth is given
Set aside the frivolities friend, it's time to get livin'!
Take the good we've learnt - about physique and diet
While letting our knowledge of weaponry grow quiet

We were the great toolmakers
Now those same tools would break us
We must care how talents will flower
With our knowledge comes our power

There will be missteps - we may stutter and fall
Even through this, we're still human after all
But did it really take a new Earth to realise?
How to see this planet through different eyes.

Written listening to one of my favourite tracks, about planetary invaders to Earth, set to a gospelesque backing track - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4swHiQDMQgw

How a comeback starts

You frown, you're down.

They wear your crown.

Not beaten, no defeating

Time to get even...

We are strong and we are smart

This is how a comeback starts

Play with grit and play with heart

This is how a comeback starts

We will not lay down and die

We are strong I tell no lie

Let us yell and let us cry

We will win, here here is why

We are strong and we are smart

This is how a comeback starts

Play with grit and play with heart

This is how a comeback starts

We will make them run with fear

We will make them run from here

Watch them quake as we come near

When we play well we have no peer

We are strong and we are smart

This is how a comeback starts

Play with grit and play with heart

This is how a comeback starts

Victory is in our sights

Only if we play with might

We win in day we win in night

Go from here and cause them fright

We are strong and we are smart

This is how a comeback starts

Play with grit and play with heart

This is how a comeback starts

We are strong and we are smart

This is how a comeback starts

Play with grit and play with heart

This is how a comeback starts

I've been wanting to write a hype up rhyme for frisbee for a while now. I reckon this one will do nicely.

Fate

Not everything in life is in your hands.
Anything can upset the best laid plans.
It sucks. I can say nothing more.
When life pushes you through a certain door.

For most of life, you feel in control.
That you can decide if you reach your goal.
The only thing standing in the way is us.
As long as we work hard it'll be no fuss.

And then, it breaks. The illusion fades.
Effort matters, but it's just an aid.
Nothing can stand against the mechanism of life.
Not strength nor sadness, not calm nor strife.

It can be devastating, to the utmost degree.
It hurts. But that there is reality.
So, what next, dear fellow and friend.
Do we just accept life, and make that the end?

Rise. Rise together, or rise alone.
But rise to meet the fate you've been thrown.
Life will have its way. It will make it's choice.
But so must you. Now find your voice.

Written after a particularly eventful day.