Wednesday 1 March 2017

Tennis Anyone?


 A time for tennis and keeping awake
Racquets, towels, rest times, injury breaks
Players looking smart and fit
Audience in their seats expectantly sit.

Following the ball, head moving side to side
Shrieks, moans when ball goes wide
Linesmen at risk from ball trajectory
At 150 mph can easily cause injury.

The gallery behaving as one
Every shout, cheer and moan predictably sung
Breathing, heaving like a giant awakened
A three hour spell of excitement.

Ball boys and girls in position
Well trained for helpful action
Everyone in place
Even when game picks up pace.

There are ways to pick up and throw
Helping to keep the game flow
Ready with balls for the server
Making it easy for the player.
 
With sweat dripping on a hot day
Towels ready for wiping away
Without ball boys and girls ready
No chance for game to flow steady.

Players looking fit and trim
Men and women mostly slim
Arms and legs muscled
From workouts carefully scheduled.

Anywhere in the world
In heat or cold
A different class of viewers
Watching self - controlled players.

Without body contact
Less chance for physical attack
As a civilized game
Tennis making its name.

Court rage very rate
Happens when tempers flare
Umpire, linesman making a mistake
Or when bad strokes made.

When this does happen
Rackets flung and broken
Ball hit wild into the crowd
Cries of alarm clear and loud.

No room for give and take
All out for match point to take
Winner takes all
No drawn match as in football.

The gallery of fame
Pictures of well - known names
To be one of them
Is every players dream.

Veteran players in the gallery
Watching prodigies playing gallantly
Now serving as coaches
As middle age approaches.

For runners up no gallery
Even if they played gallantly
Crest fallen and in despair
On another day victory can aspire.


Tennis is here to stay
A long and challenging way
Younger players in waves emerging
Future of tennis very promising.

MPP
15.2.17