David O’Neal reflects on playing rugby as an undergraduate

		The Glory of it All


Oh the pleasure I’ve had from games well played 
Played hard to win on fields arrayed
With teammates brave and unafraid:
Companions of my youthful days
When we in glory were ablaze. 

Hands that caught the ball are gnarled and veined.
Eyes that sought the instant break now ache.
Legs that ran the field are sometimes pained.
And feet that zigzagged fast are not so fleet.
This mind that called the plays knows better days.
And ears that heard “Well done!” fade one by one. 

But when I sleep and dream? Oh the glory of it all:
I’m back upon the field and will not yield. 
When games replay within my head in dreams
I’m with bold-hearted friends who made the teams.
So when in these dreams I often recall then
And think about we young and stalwart men …
Ah! The pleasure’s double sweet, twice as sweet to me again.