Lewis's Last Dance
With apologies to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Ernest Thayer
Listen my children and you shall hear
Of the final play in the game that caused Raven tears,
On the twentieth day of the new year;
The home team, Patriots were down thirty-one to twenty five
They needed a touchdown to keep their super bowl hopes alive.
A bit more than two minutes remain and the Ravens on a drive
the Patriots needed the ball before the clock ran down ending the fight,
With clipboard in hand, Coach Belichick, a plan was derived.
He whispered to the backup QB whose eyes displayed fright
The backup QB who remains unnamed
flashed a set of signals, one if by land and two if by air
Flacco called his own signals with thoughts of fame
Rice took the hand off and darted outside the line with such flair
Poor Rice slammed into the grasp and a heavy hit by Hightower
The ball jarred away, bouncing between players from both sides
It was only a second or two, but fans everywhere though it was an hour
Players fell and dove toward the reward, helmets rang when they collide
Men in stripes moved about attempting to get a better line of sight
While peeling 350 pound men off the pile, what would they see?
On the bottom of the stack Ninkovich gripped the ball with all his might
After the replay and official signal; all of Foxboro cheered with glee
Brady was back on the field needing 58 yards and limited time
Facing a mid-Atlantic hero, Ray Lewis on the other side
What play to call that will result in the team reaching goal line
Fans sat on the edge of their seats having such a rocky ride
There once again, the backup QB still unnamed but someone�s son
flashed a set of signals, one if by land, two if by air.
Brady, to everyone�s shock extended the ball for a Ridley run
who stopped briefly in a Lewis stare
Ray charged forward and gripped the runner in the hug of a bear
All the Ravens jumped in joy and watched in a trance
As Lewis slid to the left and then to the right
He continued gyrate and his infamous squirrel dance
Until a teammate noticed with such a fright
Welker scampering down the far sideline what a sight
It was a play action fake!
Brady putting the ball into flight
A huge Raven mistake;
Welker crossed the goal line holding the ball so tight!
Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;
But there is no joy in Baltimore � mighty Lewis has danced out.
-- Courtesy of Charley, a Patriots fan living in a sea of purple
