297/365

a feeling of nervous exhilaration  
builds this bullish sense of anticipation,
accruing every week before bed on sunday night.
i wake up at four am every monday morning
to watch my team. some weeks i can’t sleep
for longer than ten or thirty minutes chunks-
up at one. two fifty six. three eighteen.

the mornings are dark and still.
the kick-off hints at positive potential-
will we score on the first drive,
get the running game going,
cause a three and out,
dominate both lines of scrimmage,
make a statement?
i’ll contort my body
to finish a sack.
pump a fist.
quick clap
another completion,
another first down,
a tackle for a loss.

all week i will have watched press conferences,
tolerated pundit analytics, read practice updates,
scoured injury reports and contemplated
the difference between five and two and four and three.
this is a chasm too wide. a mood too dire to consider.
another must win week for this team.

years of disappointment
will not temper this enthusiasm.
this is our year. no more laughing stocks.
no more falling short.

these are the men.
this is the uniform.
this is the shield.
this my team.
i’m a fanatic.

oakland. los angeles. las vegas.
these are the raiders and i believe
this week they will win.