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Those Were the Days: He Never Taught Me How to Jump
I'm a Poet, and I'm Aware of the Fact
by Coop
Those Were the Days is a weekly article in which Gamervision employees share video game-related memories. If you’ve got a story of your own to share, please do so! We love hearing from the community.
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I'm not going to drag this on. A few years ago I founded The Game Poets Society, a website about video game poetry. That is for another week, and will make for an interesting Those Were the Days on its own. No, this week is about a story that I wrote - in poem form - for that website. For my first birthday my father bought me a Nintendo.
It was new, I was little, and I only have one memory of owning it:
He Didn't Teach Me How to Jump
Tiny fingers grip a grey controller,
Gliding around glossy cherry buttons.
Eager eyes. Immersed pixels. Scripted dances.
I pound a direction, swerve my controller
And Mario jogs along the path obediently.
The scrolling screen reveals an opponent:
A cluster of white and brown, eyebrows slanted with hatred,
Resolute in his mindless march.
Fingers turn white – pressing harder, harder.
His charge met with flight
As the plumber is thrown to the air,
Then plummets off to the abyss.
Slain by the first enemy I’ve ever seen,
The title screen flashes mockingly.
I slump down and cast my controller aside.
Mourning the death of my playtime
I glare over at my father, daring him to do better,
To see where I made my blunder.
“Daddy’s turn to play Mario” he says
As he resumes his game play…
And I ignore the smile worn on his face.
I'm a poet, and am entirely aware of it. My father loves that poem, by the way, and it's still one of my favorites. I'm sure I could re-write it better, but that's not the point. The point is he was an extremely selfish man, and I hate him for it.
Just kidding. But seriously, I'll never forgive him.
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Comments
poor baby-Coop. You need to learn how to run before you can learn how to jump;)
OMG- I friggen love that site, and this poem especially. I am not sure if you are aware of Forensic Speech (assembling a 10 minute program of published works such as poetry, prose, scripts, and providing a verbal interpretation. Forensics also is a demonstration of public speaking and speech writing as well as debate) , but it was a pretty big deal at my college. I was captain of my Forensic Speech Team ( and the associated frat), and for my senior year I decided I wanted to do a fun poetry program about something i truly love. I totally used your poem in my program as my opening!!!!!!!! It was the most fun I have had interpreting a piece of writing, probably in my whole history as a public speaker. I used some other poems from the site as well. We use little black books, and use page turns and what not for effect, and i totally was using the book as the controller.
ps- your poem was so awesome, that I totally got an award for my interpretation at a competition!!!!!
I must say, sir, I love what you do on Gamervision, but I am definitely a huge fan of your poetry... and the site {the game poet's society} it general. It is so necessary! I could go on, but I do not want to get too fan-girly...lol, seriously though, great stuff- and I don't think you could re-write it better. There is a reason and a season for everything... going back to it now to make it better would probably end up taking away the youth and true feeling of being in the moment.
Mwahaha. I first played Super Mario Bros. as a young child with my cousin, who also never taught me how to jump. That first goomba in level 1-1 is a real bitch when you're barely old enough to hold a controller.
Yeah, it's really a bitch, but we've all done it to others, right?
Not telling how to jump.
Giving the "special" controller (which isn't even plugged in).
Telling that a hazard restores health.
You know what I'm talking about.