h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

100m

Tape against my chest
Less than ten seconds in flight
Sunlight on my face

Javelin

From my hand, a spear.
Above me, birds against clouds
A distant cheering.

[Submitted for review]

Tim.

The Hammer.

The weapon of Thor,
Arcs towards the oval sky,
Towards ancient Gods.

Swimming

Flow around me, through,
I arc my body forwards.
The blue waters part.

Diving.

Jumping backwards I
See sky, water, sky and
Vanish without trace.

The Beam

The narrow tree branch,
My body flexes with it
Now we are as one.

[submitted for review]

I love the approach you took to this. Centering the image around the participant, his/her personal perception...

I am in awe. I really like that hammer one.

Yes, the hammer one is very good, managing to link the sport of throwing the hammer to the Norse gods in so few words.

The only thing I had any doubts about was 'through' at the end of the first line of the swimming one.

Using the first person gives immediacy. I'm afraid I hadn't imagined myself doing any of these sports.

I can imagine myself doing synchronised swimming.

Unfortunately, nobody else is happy imagining this...

MVP, have you found a listing of the 80 sporting events that are happening at the 2012 Olympics. If you posted it it might encourage others to fill in the missing sports.

Thanks Tim, your haikus were awesome.

OK, here's a link to the list of sports;

http://www.london2012.com/sport

I can do a karate one, though karate isn't in the games:

I stand, concentrate,
bring my fist down on that block.
It flies to pieces.

No, I don't do karate, but my son does.

Thanks for that, I get confused over what sports are covered and which aren't. Tennis suprises me but I guess it is played on clay courts at Wimbledon. Actually tennis was one of the orginal sports in the modern Olympics.

It's all happening around here then. . See what you started now, mvp. I love it.

Amazing poems, Tim.

And I'm here to see DG doing synchronised swimming. .

No, seriously, I will keep a check on this challenge, its amazing. I don't really know much about the Olympics. Think I'll check in here, instead of watching them.

Two from me, but perhaps not quite in the spirit of things:

Starched white kimonos
Scurry like crabs across dojo
Then throw! - that's judo

and

Britain's brave heroes
Kick ball, lose on penalties
Go home as zeroes

Yes, I know haiku generally don't rhyme - mine tend to...

But what this really inspired me to write is the following octocouplets, although I suspect it might be a little cynical for your needs...

Modern Pentathlon

The noble olympic baron
Updated the Greek pentathlon

To train the officer classes
And keep them apart from the masses

But it's not that modern anymore
Not how one likes to fight a war

So they set up some committees
That met in glamorous cities

And delivered a smart report
On a virile new five part sport

First event, piloting of drones
Whilst avoiding dangerous zones

Next up, spontaneous jumping
As IEDs get the heart thumping

Then off we go down to the pool
Spot of waterboarding - keep cool!

A quick scramble back to the huts
One bed for ten, due to the cuts

Last one has contestants puffing
Through marathon paper shuffling

Gold medals for winners of course
The crowds cheer until they are hoarse

For brave losers a purple heart
Pinned on the biggest body part...

sprout

That's a great poem, sprout. Thought-provoking, too, in the face of news that surface-to-air missiles are being using to protect the Games.

The Modern pentathlon poem is thought provoking and close to the mark.

Come to think of it, you could do something similar with hurdles...

Hah! Another keen insightful poet enters the stadium, no wait a minute, this is a poetry reading, erm, walks onstage.

This is fine poetry indeed.

(takes up permanent position in the spectators stand, no wait, in the audience).

Any refreshments around here? Artistic absinthe perhaps? Yes! Yes! I am loving this Poetry Olympics.

More! More! (sips absinthe)

Absinthe? At the Olympics?

Call the Doping Committee!

Quite right, too.

The absinthe drinker
feels a tap on the shoulder.
The doping man calls.

The drink of the London Olympics should be either or gin and tonic.

Boris says get fit
We gorge and telly gawp
fatter now - tory twit

KFC Pepsi can
Official sponsors shout
ARREEST THAT MAN!

ah poets, you have the gift



Scrumpy!

what about it?? I hear you ask, not. .

Scrumpy!



(heads back to spectator stand).

Cider would be good, I suppose. Or we could ask the Scots, nicely, if we could borrow the whisky.

But I wouldn't mind betting there will be a ban on alcohol anywhere near the stadiums.

Rhubarb juice, perhaps?