Red Plastic

I just want to say

Before we start this

That it’s important you all remember

And really remember

That only one kid

Gets the gold

We have three medals here

Gold, silver, and what looks like

Red plastic

And we have eighty-three

Ten-year-olds competing

Now

I don’t know how good

All of you are at math

But those numbers mean

That at least sixty of you

Are going home empty-handed

Now

Your parents are going to tell you

That you don’t need

To feel bad about that

Well

They’re wrong

They’re dead wrong

The only kid

Who should walk away today

Feeling like they proved themselves

Is the kid that goes home

With the gold

The silver kid should walk away

Feeling disappointed

The kid with the red plastic

Should feel like a total loser

And everybody else

Shouldn’t even walk away

They should dig a hole in the ground

Crawl into it

And wait for the earth

To reclaim them

There is no honor

In anything

But standing on the tallest box

Looking down

On everyone else

There is no honor

In participating

There is no honor

In doing your best

There is nothing but devastation

In realizing

Your best

Gets you red plastic

Or worse

Nothing at all

The kid who gets the gold

Will know

That located somewhere

In his or her ten-year-old body

There is the potential

For greatness

Greatness

Will not have been achieved today

Regardless

But today is an indicator

Today is a tip-off

That one of you

Might

One day

Amount to something

The best you can all hope for today

Is a hint of greatness

The winner today

Walks away

With a hint

A golden hint

And right now

All of you

Should kill

Crack

And crater

To get that hint

The kid that gets the gold

Is still going to have

A long road ahead of them

But at least they’ll know

They’re on the road

The rest of you?

You’ll be stuck here in the ground

Feeding trees

Just like every other schmuck

Who walked the earth

Instead of taking it over

With a nice, firm run

Good luck

To that kid

The rest of you don’t deserve luck

You’re not worthy of luck

Luck is worth more than gold

And it’s sure as hell more valuable

Than red plastic