High Stakes (weenie buy off)

[Rhapsody]

1) Strophe: Morning line odds*

 

In the course of life

I step into stride everyday.

Everyday—a day at the races.

I go through my paces,

Expected to run the usual distance.

Fight the resistance

Of lead* on my back,

Doubts weighing my saddle pack.

Feel the burden as I prance,

A nervous dance.

Before you and them and God,

All perusing the odds,

Willing to wager against me.

So easy

To be

A longshot.

Bet the blue-bloods,

The bluegrass-fed*, the better-bred.

Watch the studs,

The front-runners, or late-gunners.

Trust the well-conformed*, the well-informed,

The rich, the credentialed,

The connected, the substantial,

Those pre-stamped with the look of champs.

Future Hall-of-Famers?

Against me, the claimer*,

The dark horse

Who must stay the course.

Run the heat. Get beat. Repeat.

About time.

Go check the morning line.

 

 

*Morning-line odds: A handicapper's predictions on what each horse's odds will be come race time. Usually published in morning edition of the Daily Racing Form.

 

*lead: Lead weights inserted into saddle bags; theoretically equalizes the field (proven horses carry more weight, unproven ones, less) so that the horses should finish in a dead heat

 

*bluegrass: highly nutritious fodder for Thoroughbreds that grows mainly in Kentucky

 

*conformed: how a horse's parts are put together (long legs, sloping shoulders, broad chest, etc), often a good indicator of on-track performance

 

*claimer: The lowest rung of racing, claiming races are where underachieving horses run, who can be purchased or "claimed" by anyone with cash after the race. Generally have defects, which is why trainers put them up for claim.

 

*Rhaps*

Edited November 24, 2004 by Rhapsody

[Peredhil]

Ooooooh. Way to grill that weenie award!

[Gyrfalcon]

Congratulations Rhapsody on an excellent poem and the disappearance of a certain weenie-ness about your title.

[Rhapsody]

Thanks to a certain Elf king and raptor. Much appreciated! Please check back for final installment.

 

2) Antistrophe: Post Parade*

 

Now on the track

Ridden by Fate.

Fate holds the reins;

She deigns

To choke my pride

Check my stride,

Curb my will

Break me in*, until

Cowed, I trot past the crowd

Crest down, head bowed.

Feel on my hip

The ready whip.

In this test

Am I merely

To be

Her conquest?

With each hoofbeat,

A puff of dust, a cloud of gold,

Let the heat

Melt the mold, make me bold

Unbridled*, never stifled

In this, the Sport of Kings*

I shall spin my own wings,

Take the bit in my teeth* and leap!

Away with the blinkers*

I am a wind drinker*

Growing rank* with sweat

Go place your bet.

Let me run. Gun. Stun.

Quicken my gait.

I see the starting gate.

 

 

*Post Parade: Pre-race warm-up in which all the horses step onto the track (single file in post-position order) and the announcer introduces each horse and jockey. Horses "parade" before the grandstand, where the majority of the audience sits.

 

*break in: Old West term. The brutal process by which wild horses were forcefully familiarized with the saddle and rider. Also "breaking the spirit".

 

*Unbridled: Free, without restraint. Also, the winner of the 1990 Kentucky Derby.

 

*Sport of Kings: Thoroughbred racing. Originally only nobility were wealthy enough to breed, own, and race Thoroughbreds.

 

*bit in teeth: Racing jargon. The forceful seizure of the bit (small metal bar of bridle, used to control the horse) by a horse while running, thus giving the horse, not the jockey, complete control. The bit usually rests atop the tongue, well back in the horse's mouth and out of the reach of the teeth. Only a careless jockey allows a horse to take the bit in its teeth.

 

*blinkers: A pair of leather flaps or cups attached to the bridle to limit a horse's peripheral vision, so it will not spook at distracting shadows, etc. (Concept: what a horse can't see, can't scare it)

 

*wind drinker: The Arabian horse, ancestor of the Thoroughbred. Often called "drinker of the wind" to indicate their speed and endurance. Bedouins believe Allah created the horse from the wind itself. Arabians have large flared nostrils, large windpipes, and deep chests to facilitate breathing and help endure desert races that were often 50+ miles long.

 

*rank: Racing jargon. Adjective used to describe a horse that is becoming uncontrollable, often due to overactive nerves (during a race) or a nasty temperament. Going rank is often marked by excessive sweat and lathering around the loins.

 

*Rhaps*

[Salinye]

Wow Rhaps! YOu put a lot of thought and research into this peice. Congratulations on losing your weenie, I'm jealous! (Wow, maybe that needs to go into that "deteriorating conversations" thread, eh?)

 

Anyway, I enjoyed this. I like how it incorporated so much racing jargon and I found it refreshing and unique.

 

~Salinye