Poetry festival submission: Bear in there!

Almost forgot, here's Chrissy's favorite that brought the house down!

Bear In There
Shel Silverstein
There's a Polar Bear
In our Frigidaire--
He likes it 'cause it's cold in there.
With his seat in the meat
And his face in the fish
And his big hairy paws
In the buttery dish,
He's nibbling the noodles,
He's munching the rice,
He's slurping the soda,
He's licking the ice.
And he lets out a roar
If you open the door.
And it gives me a scare
To know he's in there--
That Polary Bear
In our Fridgitydaire. There's a Polar Bear
In our Frigidaire--
He likes it 'cause it's cold in there.
With his seat in the meat
And his face in the fish
And his big hairy paws
In the buttery dish,
He's nibbling the noodles,
He's munching the rice,
He's slurping the soda,
He's licking the ice.
And he lets out a roar
If you open the door.
And it gives me a scare
To know he's in there--
That Polary Bear
In our Fridgitydaire.

Poetry festival winding down

For those who didn't get to attend the in-person poetry festival, I thought I'd post my last submission here. Still open to others, but we'll be returning to regular non-poetic, programming here on the blog soon.

My friend the poet

I have a friend
Who speaks in verse
In iambic pentameter
Without need to rehearse

He came from an island
To visit a friend
And found a new home
In which to spend

The next 20 years
Learning to teach
Others to share
The value of speech

La Camisa Blanca
He wears a white shirt
And converses with dogs
In language diverse

From Creole to French
From English to Spanish
His relaxing tones
Make stresses vanish

And on days when he chooses
He runs like a deer
One moment away
The next moment near

But there’s a part of my friend
I find most admiring
A simple habit
That’s simply inspiring

He puts forth an effort
(As all of us should)
To always remind us
That “Life is Good”

NETT jams out at poetry festival

It was a great time at the first annual NETT Poetry Festival/Haiti Fundraiser/Olympics viewing party. We enjoyed some great food, some fun and thoughtful reading and a jam session by the NETT all-star house band. Special thanks to Jean Dany for reading and talking to us a bit about how we can help Haiti. Also, huge thanks to the Miller-Medzons--what a generous and talented family, huh? Imagine if the Patridge Family could run and play hockey and you get the idea. If you didn't get a chance to donate, you can text Haiti to 90999 to give to the Red Cross or text "world" to 50555 to donate $10 to the "we are the world".

Click the "play" button below to check out the video of the NETT house band jamming away!

Submission #2 from Jerry

This one goes well to the tune of "Graceland" by Paul Simon.


The Massachusetts forecast was calling for heavy snow.
I am weaving along the city streets towards the campus of MIT.

I'm going to track, track – down at MIT – I'm going to track.
NETTers, GBTCers, all runners with OCD, and we are going to track.
My traveling companion is Crazy. He longs to be in the Castleton Hall of Fame.
I've paid dues and like to blow out the tubes so I believe we both will be received at indoor track.

Bruce Bond writes out the workout.
As if I didn't know that. As if I didn't know what he said.
As if I never noticed the sweat on my forehead.
Bruce said 200 meter ovals is like a burning in your quads.
Everybody sees you're running fast.
Everybody sees you're working hard.

I'm going to track, track – down at MIT – I'm going to track.
Geno, Eri, Jack, Crazy and me, and we are going to track.
And my running companions are NETTers and GBTCers.
I'm looking at their sweaty backs.
But this is expected so we all will be received in track.

There is the select group from NETT, and we look at the splits we are running.
And sometimes when we’re running – 3K pace or LT – whatever the tempo, I say Whoa, so this is what Bruce means.
He means we’re training to get to race land.
And I see track is like a burning in your quads.
Everybody sees you're running fast.
Everybody feels you're working hard.

Indoor track, track, I'm going to indoor track.
For reasons I cannot explain, there's some part of me wants to see the 200 meter oval.
And I may be obliged to sprint on cold Wednesday nights again and again.
Or maybe there's no obligation since I’m more of a cyclist now.
Nevertheless, I've a reason to believe we all will be received at track.

Whoa, indoor track, indoor track.
I'm going to MIT track.
I'm going to MIT track.

Poetry festival submission: They Tried to Make me Go to Indoor Track

Oh, this one is fecking brilliant, from Jerry the Tick. Sing it to the tune of "Rehab" by Amy Winehouse.

They tried to make me go to indoor track
By Jerry De Zutter

They tried to make me go to indoor track but I said 'no, no, no'
Yes I had an eating injury but when I come back you'll know know know
I got better for my workout time and for the others track's just fine
They tried to make me go to indoor track but I won't go go go

I'd rather be out on the trails with NETT
I ain't goin' nowhere today
Cause there's no way
There's no way you can reach me
And make me circle that way

I dread weaving in and out of the MIT track running mass
Maybe just stay at home drinking from my beer glass

They tried to make me go to indoor track but I said 'no, no, no'
Yes I had an eating injury but when I come back you'll know know know
I’ve avoided injury on the 200 meter oval, not gotten dizzy and haven’t gone out of my mind
But meet me at CAC and we’ll run over to Beacon Hill that’s where we’ll go go go

Crazy said 'the track is very near'
I said "I like the river path my dear"
I'm gonna, I'm gonna lose my cool
so I'll just keep my legs right here
He said 'don't get yourself depressed,
just tell that story to the rest

They tried to make me go to indoor track but I said 'no, no, no'
Yes I had an eating injury but when I come back you'll know know know

I don't wanna run 200 meter circles again
I just ooh don't care that they're my friends
I'm not gonna spend ten seconds
have everyone think I'm on that trend

It's not just my pride
I just want to run hill repeats outside

They tried to make me go to indoor track but I said 'no, no, no'
Yes I had an eating injury but when I come back you'll know know know
So I’m better for my time but keep going and I may whine
They tried to make me go to indoor track but I won't go go go

Q&A with Marshall up on the ENETRS site

Folks, we interrupt our poetry festival coverage to bring you some "creative writing" of another kind. The organizers of the Eastern New England Trail Race Series have just posted the Q&A I did with Marshall Randolph after his tremendous performance in winning the series this year. For those interested, it's posted here.

Poetry festival submission: Peace, at eight minutes a mile

The first-ever NETT PoetryFestival/Haiti Fundraiser/Olympics viewing party is only a couple days away! Please RSVP ASAP on the Meetup page if you can attend. To keep things going we're posting another original submission into the festival.

Peace, at eight minutes a mile

Snow crunching beneath your feet
Winter sun above
Gentle wind upon your back
This is what you love

This is what you live for
This still fills your dreams
This makes all the turmoil
Half of what it seems

Laughing conversation
With many-miled friends
Worth the early rousing
A means and yet an ends

This is health embodied
This is body and soul
This was de Leon’s dream
To keep from getting old

Sometimes it’s pushing limits
Sometimes a full-on test
Sometimes a well-paced journey
Is the only way to rest

This is what you go to
This is what you need
When the mapped out path ahead
Is impossible to read

Long May You Run

I always kind of liked the "trunks of memories still to come" phrase.

Long May You Run
Neil Young

We've been through some things together
With trunks of memories still to come
We found things to do in stormy weather
Long may you run
Long may you run
Long may you run

Although these changes have come
With your chrome heart shining in the sun
Long may you run

A particularly appropriate lyric for NETT

In keeping with the poetry festival theme, here's a unique set of lyrics that grabbed my attention. Local rock legend Bill Janowitz's band Crown Victoria put this song out and it references our own Battle Road (he lives in Lexington these days).

One, Two, Three
By Bill Janowtiz

See the spotlight’s on her tawdry dresses on the bed beside the fire
She’s always kept her word, she’s not a liar
Walking down the Battle Road, the Lincoln woman’s family is not home
Oh, you’re beautiful you know
Oh, we beg you not to go
She probably drinks a glass a beer a thousand miles away from here
Or maybe she is underneath the sea
One, two, three, so easily

Another Frosty poem from banana #3

Okay, this one comes in from Banana #3, an NETT founder who prefers to stay on the fringes these days (I mean the fringes of reality, not the fringes of NETT-land!). Anyways..

I first read/learned about this Robert Frost poem in 9th grade English class with Mrs. Silva (RIP). It has always stuck in my mind and alot of times when I'd be out on the trails on a solo run.

The Road Not Taken
By Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Favorite poem: Stopping by woods on a snowy evening

Okay, I'll keep the momentum of our online poetry festival going by submitting what I think might be one of my favorite poems for a couple reasons. One, it's by New Englander Robert Frost, who not only knew what it was like to live here in the winter, but loved hiking so much, they named a very long trail in Western Mass after him. But it's also one of my favorites because I think we can all relate to it as trail runners, no? Admiring a patch of woods you'd love to explore...even if it's someone else's property? And, yes, we all know what it's like to have "miles to go before I sleep" don't we?


Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening
By Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Kicking off our Poetry Festival with..what else...a limerick

Okay, since it's February, we're going to kick off the online portion of our poetry festival with a couple limericks submitted by Dave Molk.

Oh the coyote will run wild and free
from the woods to the roads he can see
all his foes will give chase
when he lines up to race
but they can't catch NET and T


Crazy D what a scandal did make
as the cheat sought his glory to fake
'fore he entered each race
all the course he would case
so he'd win by a shortcut he'd take


I don't know about you, but it makes we want to hoist a pint of stout in the local pub! Who's next?