Indulgence

I wrote a poem

And realized I’d be a hypocrite.

I write in England’s style

But hate Soccer.

I don’t want soccer here.

 

When I go somewhere,

I like the best quality.

I suppose the Conch Fritters in Florida

Would be just as good in Pennsylvania

Should someone care to make them

With the appropriate recipes.

 

I suppose what I don’t like

Is when someone makes a Taco

Without using Cumin

Or Chili Powder.

I suppose mint doesn’t belong

In Tacos.

Though, some Mexican dishes

Might have mint—

I do say I probably had some

Where mint was good.

Because, the person understood

The point of quality.

 

This is my real issue with America

Adopting things like Soccer

Lacrosse, etc.

We have four sports

Already wildly popular in our country.

And, everyone knows at least seven teams

From each sport.

It’s like indulging in something

That’s already satisfied.

We don’t need Soccer.

 

Because Japan playing baseball seems as natural to me

Given the thought, as Venezuela

Or Babe Ruth playing baseball.

It is something that makes sense

And is culturally appropriate.

America does not need Rugby

Or Soccer, or Cricket,

Or Lacrosse, or any of the number of other bizarre sports

That we tend to try to hype up and culturally appropriate.

 

Like, Eminem should rap.

It’s not like that.

It’s more along the lines of this:

What you rap about is important.

If you’re rapping about being a terrible girlfriend

And you’re boasting about how evil you are…

It’s best not to rap about that.

Eminem did not boast in evil.

Rather, he just stated the fact nobody wanted to acknowledge.

The fact that suburban kids were pretty hardcore

And were turning into what were essentially sociopaths.

Soccer falls in line with this very simply:

We have four sports that people regularly watch.

That’s two or three more than the average country.

We don’t need to prove to the world that we’re better at soccer

Because it’s kind of sad.

Basketball,

Baseball,

Hockey,

Football (American).

 

India plays cricket.

It makes sense. They’re patient

They like thinking.

They have ties to Great Britain.

America would be pretty strange playing Cricket

When we have Baseball.

Though, London loves my Phillies

I have to say… But we don’t go colonize one of their stadiums

With a baseball field.

And if we did, it’d be more appropriate than a football field.

Which, the NFL wants to put football fields in Germany and Britain.

 

It’s strange… it’s annoying. It’s indulgent.

It’s hard for me to justify.

A person does not need every sport in their country.

They don’t need to know every card game possible.

They certainly don’t need to know how to play Contact Bridge and Pinochle

And on top of that fifty other trick taking games;

Unless they were a professional,

But then, that person knowing other games as well

Such as all of them…

It’s indulgent.

 

I write stories with morals.

I don’t write stories for entertainment.

Because that is my choice…

To write meaningless stories

In an age where all stories are meaningless

Is indulgent.

For me to go and write a story

For the purpose of simply making money

Is indulgent.

I have nineteen books on my bookshelf

All of them I’ve written

And spent ten years writing.

For me to turn around and write a modern novel

Like Clive Cussler is indulgent.

I don’t need to write like James Paterson.

Not because I can’t.

But because Baseball is an American sport.

And it’s also popular in Japan.

 

There are things which are timely for certain countries

And in an age dominated by Capitalism

It’s hard to preserve cultural traditions.

Which, is why I chose cultural traditions to write in.

Because they need preserved

Otherwise who knows what bloodsport might pop up.

Maybe people hitting each other with actual weapons

In an arena, and it ending up on History Channel.

Oh! That’s a real thing. Sorry.

My imagination wasn’t so sharp there.