Leaves of Turf is a game-by-game, season-long series of football verse by TWER poet lAUreate Amorak Huey. This is his final regular season poem. And it’s been a hell of a season. We’ve been patting ourselves on the back for 12 straight weeks for asking him to this. Still patting. His first poem can be found here, his second here, his third here, his fourth here, his fifth here, his sixth here, his seventh here, his eight here, his ninth here, his tenth here, his eleventh here.
For Bama, he turns to Emily Dickinson. As for Bama fans, here’s hoping Cam and Co. make recluses of them all.
Iron Bowl Poem That Ends With a Prediction
Game 12, at Alabama, Nov. 26, 2010
I hope to hear the Tide buzz – before it dies –
the silence in Bryant-Denny
will be the sweetest sound of all –
punctuated by the shouts of Cam.
The Auburn offense can run them down –
if the defense can do just enough
to quiet Ingram, Jones, McElroy –
O! Let Cam remain his statuesque self –
I’ve held my breath for most of the season –
tension building with each win –
and now all that interposes
between us and 12-0 is – the cursed Tide –
I’m dreaming in Crimson this week –
my optimism sometimes stumbles –
I cannot bear the thought of losing –
but – dare I say it? – I’m predicting
a Tigers triumph: 38-27 Auburn.
…
Amorak Huey didn’t go to Auburn, but he did have a fake Auburn ID so he could sit in the Jordan-Hare student section throughout his college years. A graduate of Birmingham-Southern College, Amorak spent fifteen years as a newspaper reporter and editor at papers in Florida, Kentucky and Michigan. Two years ago, he left his job as assistant sports editor at The Grand Rapids Press to take a position teaching writing at Grand Valley State University. He holds an MFA in creative writing from Western Michigan University, and his poetry has appeared in a number of literary journals. He lives in East Grand Rapids, Mich., with his wife and two children. You can find him online at www.amorakhuey.net.
AUsome
Let’s get it AUn!