Annoying Thoughts Present: The Patriots (One More Time)

I've been looking at various blog posts about the Patriots and the Superbowl game and have been inspired to comment a little more. I have already posted my thoughts about the New New York epidemic, but I've been going back to thinking about it in metaphor.

Best to describe what I mean by giving you a link. This is the poem I started in 2005, inspired by, of all things, Superbowl XXXIX (I had to work on it afterwards for Tom Daley's workshop). It's part of the Bagelbards anthology, which you can buy via the sidebar link.

"Go Team" was me dealing with the continuing rise of jingo patriotism in America, which almost seemed to coincide with the growing legacy of the flag-colored New England Patriots, their opponents exuding just as much in the way of symbolism. Having written it years ago, I ended the poem--a sestina--like this:

This Superbowl has both Eagles and Patriots.
This parade: same side, two players.
Symbols say: only America can beat America.

What does a defeat by the Giants mean, then? A reminder to the Pats that there's always something out there bigger than them? Glad I don't have to finish the poem now.

And what about this season as a whole, which has seen the Patriots immersed in controversy, and over spying, for God's sake, complete with a leader as unapologetic as the one in the White House who was somehow elected twice. Sometimes, I wonder about the connection between the (finally) fallen image of the Bush administration and the fall of the Patriots.

Not that either has really suffered a fall. The Patriots have been relatively unscathed by the scandal, are still champions (if not the champions) and we all know how pretty GW is sitting in spite of a Democratic congress susposedly doing everything it can to set things right except for the obvious (*cough*impeach*cough*). Even if you think I'm talking out of my butt, it is depressing to think about.

I did feel bad for Tom Brady. He was humbled several times on the field this past weekend by what seemed like an army of young players who, like him years ago, finally had their moment to shine during a championship game. It's hard to take pleasure in that unless you're a Giants fan, or a Patriots hater (or Drew Bledsoe). Still, to see one juggernaut go down this past Sunday somehow makes me hopeful regarding the real so-far unbeatable beast in the White House--the one we should be angry and worried about.