Tug-O-War | Teen Ink

Tug-O-War

June 26, 2011
By the.kanguru GOLD, Irvine, California
the.kanguru GOLD, Irvine, California
16 articles 0 photos 19 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Why is Jesus holding a machine gun?&quot;<br /> &quot;Maybe it&#039;s part of his therapy.&quot;


I’ll pull this way, you pull that!
I think the wind blew off your hat!
One tug left and one tug right;
Pulling, straining, what a sight.
Faces bright red with exertion!
Necks are wet with perspiration!
“I’m the right one, you know that
Why don’t you let me play diplomat?”
“No, no, sir, I’m afraid I can’t!
There are words you can’t recant.
I’m the right one, I’m afraid
All the due debts must be paid.”
So we pull and pull and tug!
You slip a little on the rug!
The little red cone draws ever nearer,
The cost of fighting ever dearer.
“Why, aren’t you scared you’ll fall down hard?
Your knee all cut with a glass shard?
We should stop now, yes we should,
While I can and while I would.”
“I’ll buy flowers and a card,
I’ll visit you in your hospital ward.
But quit is one thing I won’t do,
Not until I’m cold and blue.”
He who surrenders, why he is weak!
Oh, for the loser, the prospect’s bleak!
So they tug and tug and pull,
Little by little, friendship annuled.


The author's comments:
I meant for this poem to be a metaphor (conceit?) for fights between close friends. People never wants to admit they're wrong, but the never-ending stubbornness on both sides is pointless. You could win at tug-o-war, but if your opponent lets go you end up lying in the mud. Nobody wins with conflicts.

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