Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Bay to Breakers

Photo by Rachel Hoyt. © 2011 All rights reserved.

The tortoise and the hare raced in the San Francisco rain
as other costumed folks rushed the streets like bulls in Spain.
I suppose no observer would have called their pace racing
but if you asked them, they'd blame inadequate spacing.
With mobs of Elvis's, Waldos and Smurfs in your way,
it's funner to indulge your turtle pace for a day.

It was the Bay to Breakers centennial anniversary,
an event all gallavanters and lookie-loos should see.
Unfortunately, some of the locals hope it was the last.
They aim to make this race/party a thing of the past.
It's similar to the problem faced by Floatopia fans:
a rowdy minority peeing wherever and leaving behind beer cans.

The difference between the two is the "honeymoon" length.
Each time an event repeats itself, the tradition gains strength.
After a hundred years, many families have built memories
racing in costume or hosting street side revelries.
At what point does the event come with the territory?
Can't the people work together to keep things hunky-dory?

I know no other race where you could go
Captain Hook wandering around with Tinkerbell.
Angels from Heaven jogging with demons from Hell.
The Royal Wedding running past the US Cabinet.
People taking pictures with some naked guy they just met.

Sure, no event can accommodate everyone's taste,
but that doesn't mean we should destroy it with haste.
One hundred years is a long time to keep up tradition.
Must mother nature strike again to prevent it's omission?
The tortoise remembered that was how it all began...
and to honor another tradition, she ran....
three steps across the finish line, winning again.

 © Rachel Hoyt 2011.  All rights reserved.


This rhyme is being shared at One Stop Poetry.
Click on over to join in the fun with me.

I'm also sharing this poem in the Thursday Poet's Rally
and would like to thank those who voted for me in the tally.
I'm overjoyed to win the Perfect Poet Award - Summer 2011.
Your votes (to me) are like manna from heaven.

27 comments:

  1. Sounds like FUN to me!

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  2. hehe - i love the turtle pace....and your sense of humor

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  3. ha this certainly sounds like a sight to see...and a lot of fun for families...even if they are multi-species?

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  4. Loved it. Reminiscent of The Great North Run. I smiled from start to finish, although its a crying shame anyone should want to prevent such occasions.

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  5. Nicely done, as usual.

    San Francisco always seems like a magically unique place. I don't think I'd want to live there, but during my nomadic years it might have been a nice town to explore for six months or so.

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  6. Glad to be able to read your blog again! Great work, went nicely with this sunny day!

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  7. thank you so much for carrying on our Mother's rhyming abilities!!

    She was always so good at it and your are carrying that Hoyt tradition

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  8. @Wanda - It is SUPER FUN!!! :)

    @Claudia - I'm glad you like my turtle pace. Wish I could run/walk faster, but I'm truly a turtle at heart. Hehe.

    @Brian - HA! Nice rhyme. :)

    @Tino - I've heard about the Great North Run! It also sounds very fun.

    @Doug - I agree about living there. I LOVE visiting, but prefer a more mellow, small city for my actual residence. :)

    @Ayala - Thanks!

    @MyOwnSavior - Good to have you back!

    @Scott - Awww, thanks Uncle. :) I am super pleased to carry on Grandma Betty's rhyming ability/tradition. :)

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  9. Sounds like so much fun!

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  10. Awesome!! loved reading it and loved the ending :):):)

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  11. well capture of a fun event,

    love the turtle and hare story.

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  12. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  13. @mindlovemisery - It WAS fun! I highly recommend it. :)

    @Sunshine of the Moon - Glad you liked the ending! That IS how it was. Hehe. :)

    @Jingle - Thank you! So glad you enjoyed the rhyme on both levels. :)

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  14. I love reading your style and gotta say this kind of event would be so cool to be involved in!

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  15. What a fun and fresh piece!

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  16. awesome and fun... Here is my rally post, ~ come on idiot, you are for me ~

    ! Happy Sunday !

    Someone is Special

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  17. @abthomas - I love your style as well! I nominated you for perfect poet at the bottom of my Angry Birds post. :)

    @Poetry Road - Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the change of pace. :)

    @Someone is Special - Thank you and Happy Sunday to you!

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  18. What a sense of humor!! You have visualized this with your poetic skills that is as effective as a video.

    Iris
    http://irisinbloom.wordpress.com
    http://poetpost.wordpress.com

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  19. Loving your writing style
    Hope to see you go the mile
    Making a person's day while
    Rhyming with a smile (:

    -RPIMotion Author

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  20. Good for the tortoise...I love it when he wins...a nice rhyme!

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  21. Awesome, awesome, awesome! Thanks for always sharing such neat things with us! I always know it will give me a smile to come here. :) I would LOVE to participate in such an event. It's too bad there are some that ruin it for others by littering...:-/

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  22. @Poetpost - Thanks! It wasn't too hard for me to visualize since I was there. Glad it felt like a video to you. :)

    @rpimotion - Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! I hope to "go the distance" too. :)

    @pandamoniumcat - It would be a sad world if the hare started winning. That's the tortoise's job! :)

    @dragonkatet - You are welcome. Thanks for coming here to find out about random silly things! I wish I could highlight them all... :)

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  23. Loved running it and watching it when I lived there

    I love your fun/ light angle on poetry

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  24. @moondustwriter - thanks! So glad you like my style. :)

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  25. No! I hadn't seen this! Thanks for showing it to me. You did a great job of describing this "festival"!

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  26. @Marbles in My Pocket - I'm glad you liked my tortoise and hare story. :)

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Rhyming or not, I would like a lot to hear the thoughts my words brought...