Sign Inventory, Post 10, Week 12

Start
Marin Sorescu

Often the start went wrong,
the bang wasn't loud enough
or it wasn't heard,
and the competitors, sent back again and again to their places,
covered themselves in ashes, broke
their legs and threw sand into
the spectators' eyes.

The track, the whole stadium,
was often red with blood,
the start went wrong so many times.

Once
a man with the starting-gun
out of fear of the imminent disaster
fired not into the air
but through his head.
As though by a miracle this time
all the runners won.

The death of the shot man
was hardly noticed.

Ever since, tradition demands,
whoever signals the start
puts the weapon to his forehead.

The instrument that brought in so many gold medals
has landed up with me.

Already the runners rest
their left knees on the chalk line,
their eyes have run on far ahead,
their nostrils quiver.

All they're waiting for is the bang.
It's all up to me.

-the "bang" is a recurring idea throughout the piece. It is the starting point for the race, and if no one hears it, there is a huge riot. I think this can be applied not only to the race in the poem, but to any starting point in life. The need for life to be "fair" is very prominent in today's society, and has been for a long time. People reject even scientific facts that suggest that we are not born a blank slate, thereby putting some ahead of others genetically. It's no wonder that such an obvious source of unfairness incites such behavior.

-the gun-to-forehead tradition is an interesting tradition. I don't know much about it now, but it might be worth taking a look into. I had previously thought that it was just a version of a salute, but I guess not. I did a quick Google search but it didn't turn up anything. I'll have to keep looking.