Vicarious: adjective – felt or enjoyed through imagined participation in the experience of others.
The athlete wraps his swollen knee
To take the pain down one degree
He puts his uniform on and he stands
He stretches and he grunts and sneers
While in the background thunder cheers
Of fans who have some very high demands
He does some squats and starts to sweat
His knee and shoulder play roulette
Sometimes they stab, sometimes it’s just an ache
He does this every single day
And though the word they use is “play”
He knows that it’s not “fun” that is at stake
He pushes himself to his edge
He sacrifices, makes a pledge
To expect more from himself than of others
He puts on all his gear and walks
Out of the locker room and talks
With his comrades, his teammates and his brothers
But soon they’re all drowned out by fans
Who yell and scream within the stands
Who shout, “We’re gonna win!” with all their might
A man who hasn’t run in ages
Takes a swig of beer and rages
“Show them what we’re made of and go fight!”
The athlete sees another man
Who tries to not spill his beer can
While nachos balance in his other grip
He holds the chips up to his face
And gobbles some without much grace
And with a full mouth thunders, “Let ‘er rip!”
Thousands pack the seats today
To chant, to cheer, to hope, to pray
To live vicariously through the men
Who choose discomfort, struggle, pain
Through snow and sleet and cold and rain
Fans pin their hopes on warriors again
“We’re gonna win!” some slob declares
And athlete does look up and stares
A cold and steely glance because he’s heard
Enough people who act involved
So athlete’s poise becomes dissolved
Because for him it is all so absurd
He says what is on all the minds
Of his teammates as he reminds
The nacho chomping fan it’s not *his* win
Until he puts the nachos down
And hits the gym and goes to town
Which makes his teammates all chuckle and grin
The nacho chomping fan is stunned
He feels betrayed and hurt and shunned
And now he cheers for the opposing team!
Once again he lives through those
Who saw two choices and they chose
Not path of comfort but the one extreme
The athletes all compete and drive
Each other to feel more alive
While fans in stands sit by and feel connected
And cheer and pump their fists with zeal
As if their achievement is real
Vicarious accomplishment injected
They all go home and feel quite spent
“Man, what a game!” one does lament
“We gave them everything we had out there!”
The athlete shakes his head and limps
His way past all the oafs and wimps
And then collapses down into a chair
He slowly pulls the knee wrap off
The pain hits him and makes him cough
“WE won jack shit” he mumbles quietly
“The victory is for my team
No matter much you all scream
And how much you live vicariously”
