After the Flood: Hockey Poems — An Introduction

I don’t need to tell you about bad floods—the devastation they bring to the land, its people, and their worldly possessions. However, my title here refers to good floods, intentional floods.

They take place across this great country and around the world: in arenas, on outdoor rinks and even on lakes and canals. Whether initiated by a solitary figure cradling a second-hand fire hose or by an attendant driving a state-of-the-art ice resurfacing machine, these floods put in place the key ingredient for ice skating: fresh water.

My book celebrates the adventures and interactions among people that can only happen after the good floods. Many of the poems are rooted in my experiences as a hockey player, coach, and fan.

The book includes some of Renate’s calligraphy, an etching and drawings by artist Stan Phelps, and photographs by Paula Worthington.

Ice Questions

How many goals will be scored tonight
across this dark and frozen land,
at outdoor rinks, at arenas,
in every village, in every city?

(How many since the beginning of this poem?)

After each one, the frenzy will stop,
players will glide toward teammates, arms upraised,
opponents will turn away,
shoulders hunched, sticks across thighs,
be caught up in it
understand the context.

Who’s keeping score
and who has the luxury of losing track,
shouting, “Next goal wins”
when sensibility has whispered
that the game must come to an end?

Who will have been captured on video highlights
and who will just scrape the ice clean
and begin again?

After the Flood: Hockey Poems is available from the author.