September 13 2010

Crystal Palace

Jamesey offers profound apologies for desecrating the spirit of Rudyard Kipling but hopes a slight reworking of his famous poem brings some solace in these troubled times.

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on George;

If you can trust yourself when all clubs jeer you,

But make allowance for their doubting gorge:

If you can wait and not be tired by losing,

Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,

Or being hated don't give way to hating,

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream -- and not make dreams your master;

If you can think -- and not make thoughts your aim,

If you can meet with triumph and disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same:

If you can bear to hear the score at Reading

Twisted by hacks to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave support to, broken,

And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on a Palace bet,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings,

And never breathe a word about your debt:

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the will which tells the team: "hang on!"

If you can swell the crowd and keep on cheering,

Or back the consortium -- nor lose the common touch,

If neither scum nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all clubs count with you, but none too much:

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of Palace fun,

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And -- which is more -- you'll be an Eagles Fan, my son!

Email Jamesey with your comments to jevans3704@aol.com

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