Author's Note: This poem refers to the judging controversy over the score received by Alexei Nemov during his horizontal bar routine during the 2004 Olympics, in case anyone might be wondering.

9.762
push the buttons
one by one
and yawn:
it's tough,
only
seven
hours
of sleep
to go on,
more than most
but less
than what I'm used to.
I can't complain;
it was my choice
after all.
I didn't have to watch
the Olympics
Men's Gymnastics
on TV
until after midnight.
but if I learned
anything
from reading my
microeconomics
for today,
it's that every choice we make
has its own
opportunity costs.
and being tired
is well worth
having seen
a crowded auditorium
boo and jeer
at a panel
of Olympic judges
because they thought
the Russian
did better than
a nine point seven six two.

TMK 8/24/04