The Hockey Parable

Sean Avery follows his weakass 
shot into Brodeur, snows him, 
that bastard, 
dives on top of him
knocks Brodeur's mask off.
Then they both get up. 
Brodeur shoves him, 
two hands to the chest.
Avery shoves right back
that coward.

Then Rafalski jumps Avery 
rides him to the ice next to Marty.

Avery, the cheap bastard 
who snowed Brodeur.
Rafalski the defenseman
who knows
there's no greater love than to 
jump the goon who snowed your 
goalie.

Come on, Stripes!  
Let'em fight!

Bill Gillard is a teacher of creative writing and literature at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. His writing has appeared in dozens of journals, and he is the author of the poetry collection, The Vade Mecum of the True Sublime, and two chapbooks, Ode to Sandra Hook and Desire, the River. He is co-author of Speculative Modernism, a study of the origins of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. He is the fiction editor at the literary magazine, Masque and Spectacle. He earned an MFA from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Bill is a recovering youth hockey coach, living in Appleton, Wisconsin, with his wife and two daughters.