Sounders vs. Portland - Aftermatch Aftermath: Hope and Despair

In honor of the first matchup of the season between the Seattle Sounders and the Portland Timbers, I wrote a poem. Bear with me, I'm not a poet and I know it.

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

Fuck.

We lost.

In the beginning, before all of this, all we had were hopes and ideas. Those hopes and ideas shaped our world, giving us purpose, giving us goals. But it's not the beginning any longer. Though we still have hopes and ideas, reality has chipped away at our ideals, shattering off pieces of our dreams and desires.

We are no longer the hopeful youth rushing headlong into life. We are not naive. Instead we stumble. We observe that life has detours, stops unintended. We can get lost along the way, wallow in despair about the misfortunes that have befallen our journey, and lose track of our destination, of our hopes and ideas.

Yet that road still exists. That future we envision is still out there, waiting unspoiled and pure, waiting for us to get back on our feet.

I can imagine a world in which we get everything we want, where hardships simply do not exist, but instead our journeys are met not with distractions or complications, rather with helpful guides and fortuitous opportunities that further us along our path. The Sounders could win every game they've ever played. They could coast through a season without breaking a sweat, collecting every trophy available to them.

As humans though, would we not still be dissatisfied? We need conflict. We need resolution. Without the two together there's no drama, there's no triumph. So far this season, the Sounders only have half of that equation down to a science, and without resolution, the conflict digs its roots in deep, infecting us, perverting those hopes and ideas we once so desperately clung.

The Hydra lies dormant. Without its presence we have become the beast that devours itself from within. But apologies must be issued because the hydra does not lie dormant, instead the Hydra, as we know it, is dead. Too many heads have been cut off with not enough new heads to replace its voracity. We've sat by waiting, expectant, but it does not heed our calls, it does not answer.

When it rises again, it will take a new shape. Its ferocity will be fearsome to behold, and it will guide us back to our path. Through the darkness it will lead us, beaten and battered but not broken. And the terribleness with which we will unleash our new beast will force those in our way to scatter in fear, fear for they know from where it is we come, from what we have been forced to endure, forced to overcome.

Fear the man who has nothing to lose.

Nos audietis in somniis

Nos audietis in altum

Nos autem non timere

Abandon all GIFs, ye who enter here

Time to head to Portland and show those Timbers what's what.

Good luck to all those fans who made the trip. Portland's a wacky place.

Lots of close calls for both teams.

We're just so close to putting it together, so close to making things work.

We've made a huge mistake.

Now the floodgates are open.

It's like we purposefully handicapped ourselves in this game.

Just ignore me while I drown my sorrows.

What are we doing with our lives?

There must be more to life than just wins and losses.

It's clear the Sounders have problems.

It's okay though, I've got my best man on the case.

Onward and upward.