I Watch the Line

A short poem about tennis (by me) for the start of Wimbledon...

I Watch the Line

I watch the line.
The thin strip of white
Between green and green,
In and out,
Champion and forgotten.

Not for my eyes the exquisite lob,
The soft-handed drop shot,
The searing ace.
My eyes seek only mistakes,
The wide and the long.
Everything else is merely 'in'.

Break point, match point,
Championship point -
All hold equal merit.
I don't take sides,
Or fear the rain.

While spectators, cameras
and the world watch the game,
I watch the line.





Matt Hutchinson - June 2012