My Favorite Song

Mick Sullivan

The deep rhythmic carving of steel on ice.
Every stride, every crossover, every stop.
Each has their own distinct sound, yet
few can even do them,
and fewer still can tell their sound apart.

This song takes years to make.
Years of practice, years of training.
Countless speeches of being praised for our additions
to the song, and even more speeches critiquing
and criticizing our use of the instruments.

The sporadic clang of rubber on steel,
the sound that can call for celebration
like church bells on Christmas,
or can call for more work, more effort
like the bell ending a miner’s lunch break.

The upbeat roar signifying the former,
as if Hendrix,
 Daltrey,
Page,
Gilmour,
and McCartney
just walked on stage together.
A celebratory eruption heard seldom in a close game,
often in a blowout, and never in an opponent’s slaughterhouse.

These elements,
these instruments,
all come together in one momentous
symphony.
To create my favorite song in the world.