Book Ten

School

Football

Team suited

Up for practice,

One locker stayed closed,

Uniform hooked inside,

Equipment spread on bottom.



Proud

Hektor

Put on cold,

Bloody armour,

Passed to Achilles

By his father, borrowed,

Stripped from corpse of Patroklos.



Friend,

Tongue-tied,

Who shared room,

Classes with wrist

Injured quarterback,

Offered support; roommate

Pressed workout partner to play.



School's

Soccer,

Cross country

Teams, their backs to

Football team lockers,

Overheard murmurs of

Confusion with leadership.



Wise

Aias

Requested 

Menelaus:

Send Antilochos 

To report the death of 

Patroklos to Achilles.



Third

Form dorm

Boys walked down

Stairs to basement

Locker room showers 

Wearing bathrobes, holding 

Towels, hung robes, towels, turned on taps.



Coach

Addressed

Team, two out

For season, big 

Alumni weekend,

Announced JV player

Would fill slot during practice.



News

Received,

Achilles

Mourned Patroklos'

Loss, sought revenge through

Hektor's death, Thetis heard,

Asked Hephaestus for armour.



Backs

To tiles,

Water hit

Shoulders, buttocks,

Hands grabbed soap bars to 

Lather faces, chests, arms,

Legs, between them, turned to rinse.



At

Long last,

Director's

Prescient line up

Took shape: alumnus'

Firstborn was quarterback

During alumni weekend.



Hands

Grabbed feet

To drag corpse,

Aiantes pushed back,

At Iris' urging,

Achilles cupped his hands

Around mouth to shout from ditch. 



Boys

Lingered,

Rising steam

Obscured intent

Of hands, soap bars, which

Circumnavigated

Puckered, pink skin of their bodies.



Balls

Hiked to

JV spared

Quarterbacks thrown,

Aimed at massed offense

Unknowns, overseen by

Withdrawn senior working out.



Corpse

Washed, oiled,

Wounds sealed with

Unguents, shrouded,

Divine ambrosia,

Nectar fed to forestall

Any spoilage by maggots.



One

By one,

Taps turned off,

Steam escaped, boys

Gathered to dry off 

By shower entry, their

Bathrobes rewrapped climbed upstairs.



Games

Reserved

Uniforms 

Laundered, chalk lines 

Re-rolled, visitor 

Locker room repainted,

Refreshment tent assembled.



Gift

Armour

Delivered,

Anger sated,

Achilles mourned while 

Gathered Achaians ate, 

Then strapped on battle metals.



School 

Vans dropped 

Visitor 

Team at gym lot,

Greeted, shown lockers,

Athletes emerged dressed for 

Play, escorted to the fields.



{18 stanzas/page} 






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