POEM: The Coronavirus Boys State High School Basketball Tournament

This is a poem I wrote on the eve of what would have been our 72nd year of baseline to baseline coverage of the MSHSL Boys State High School Basketball Tournament.

Since 1948 KDHL Radio has provided baseline to baseline coverage of the Minnesota State High School Boys Basketball Tournament

The only thing to stop it was something called Coronavirus or COVID-19 which some say was Heaven sent

No buzzer-beaters, no three-point bombs, no blocked shots or points in the paint

I don’t believe God would send this ugly problem long after Paul became a saint

Chalk the virus that took down the entire Boys Basketball Tournament

To the Devil himself, yes he was hell-bent

On taking away such enjoyment from players, coaches and fans alike

A dream many participants had since they were a tike

Of making the steal in the last seconds of the game that sealed a win

Or hitting a game-winning shot with a jaw-dropping assist from your twin

For over seven decades KDHL has enjoyed bringing you the sounds of the game

Each inbound pass, dribble-drive to the basket or rim rattle that came

The heartbreak for the youth who will never be able to say they took the hardwood at state

Can’t be measured in a glass or etched on a commemorative plate

For most participants, it’s a dream come true

For teams that would have been at state we understand why you are blue

There will be no State Champions in Class A, Double A, Triple A, Four A or five A in 2020

An asterisk will be seen in future programs, it will be discussed plenty

Ten, Twenty years from now people will talk about the tournament that was not held

Because of a pandemic that started in China, spread the world, leading to a heart meld

People were forced inside with loved ones, it became the new normal for awhile

When it was over it made us appreciate our neighbors, something as simple as a smile

The hug of a stranger at a funeral when you were hurting inside

The joy of watching a groom kiss his new bride

For it’s the simple things we miss when experiences are taken away

The bus ride to the game, the gift of being able to play

A game we learned when we were about the size of the basketball

Thrilling victories and common sadness with friends when our team did fall

2020 the year COVID-19 or Coronavirus took away drinks with friends at a local pub

Singing hymns in church, buying groceries without empty shelves, just being a regular bub

Social distancing is what the experts told us we needed to do

No crowds to lessen the spread of this more violent form of the flu