Eileen R. Tabios Momentum’s Profile —shaped by “Brazil vs. Japan,” Men’s Volleyball World Cup 2019; momentum notes mostly extricated from play-by-play coverage Nota Bene—the poem “Momentum’s Profile” Contains An Interactive Component: Map the momentum of the poem’s lines (below) on a graph. Map the momentum of the “Brazil vs. Japan” game during the Men’s Volleyball World Cup 2019 (which is available on YouTube). Compare the two momentum maps to see if there’s any similarities. If you discerned any similarity between the graphed lines, then you and the poem are in simpatico. If you don’t discern any similarity, then you’re proof of music’s subjectivity. I. Set 1 = 25-17 The execution is absolutely sublime Confident and authoritative He’s always serving big—he doesn’t hold back He’s not serving into the safety net—it’s all or nothing Setting a hot pace—doing well to stay with them Japanese bodies all over the court Selling out—trying to keep it alive Lovely reverse The block to his advantage Brought A-game, denoting respect Everybody’s hitting well Tends to be all or nothing Picks it up—nothing there An eyebrow raiser Still clinging on here They’ve got to tweak something here Somebody nudged the net there He’s not giving a breather A big hitter but they need him primarily as a blocker Frustration—it was close They were all irresistible II. Set 2 = 24-26 Usually, world class players don’t make two mistakes in a row While they’re wobbling, serve up an Ace Capitalize on this while they can—this opportunity won’t be there for long Dream start for one; nightmare start for the other Into the net Plays like a man who’s had enough of this nonsense Blocked to send that back with interest Clinging on to their lead The formidable Brazilian block now dismantled The blocking specialist is in Dragged themselves level No point holding back Nothing there! Nothing there! III. Set 3 = 25-14 Just ripped—uncorking that one Japan has made Brazil angry How you spot adversity tells you a lot When your confidence is shot, you need to be pulled out “We fight each Ace” A strange error—most unexpected Here comes a boom, here comes a boom, here comes a boom boom boom boom boom If you had a towel to throw in, you’d throw it Take that all day long Not a perfect take but it’s enough Hang it high They just can’t keep that alive Goodness me That’ll do it—it’s finally over This set was over after its first five points IV. Set 4 = 27-25 How ‘bout that for a block—he’s had some fun Too deep Yep. Nice. They’re hitting so well. As ever The serve doesn’t ask questions of the service receiver Those big inside hits—just ripping It’s a joy to watch, when you’re a safe distance away from the ball The finish a thing of beauty Sizzle Outstanding diggers on the other side of the net Rough rough Swings with real authority Just has to stay digged in Powering through there A grinding side-out battle Put away with a bit of a fuss Absolutely drilled cross-court Solidly played Can’t take it much better than that Benefit of taking a breather Interesting Conjures up something but the antenna wobbled What a rescue Super Strike! Here comes a boom, here comes a boom, here comes a boom boom boom boom boom Into the net No touch Still front-running here Sizzle They don’t want a five-setter, especially with the momentum and emotion here Not too impressed with this call Put some pressure there Drills it—that’s a beauty Denied I see where you’re going—gonna leave you alone Front-running again Now. Suddenly everything’s gotten interesting It’s a lead That just disappears Made a mess of it—got stranded in no man’s land—that’s a good Time Out Settle everyone down “Let’s get ready for the next” Rips it—absolutely superb Too good—nothing else you can say It’s up for grabs by both teams Long. Side out Surely this is a put away. It’s got to be a put away. It is. Gets a dink. Gets stuffed. Terrific set. Still, we’re level He’s not messing around Does it again Absolutely stunning kill Breached the defenses Went soft—big anticlimax Too good They’ve stood toe-to-toe every step of the way A miss—my goodness They’ve got a chance. They’ve got a chance It’s a sneaky one that fell on the floor Not by much A brave effort They’ve got a lead to protect An easy put away They’re getting closer This is the worst guy to see at the service line They need a blocked point That lead’s gone This is a huge moment Sometimes you see the net move and you’re not sure why so you’ve got to throw down the flag That was mighty, mighty close. Mighty close. Worth the challenge Into the net. Nothing but net All this hard work They’ve got the lead, but slender If there’s any chance of crowd support dragging a team over the line, it’d be this crowd That had to be good, and it was Get the big boys up front Suddenly match point. Serving for the World Cup This has got to be good and it is The block is there—they stay alive No quit at all Championship point again Defenders flying around On the brink here He missed Spine-tingling stuff, this How close Championship point again Very dangerous combination Now it’s over—put the gold medal around their necksEileen R. Tabios has released over 70 collections of poetry, fiction, essays, and experimental biographies from publishers in 10 countries and cyberspace. In 2023, she released the poetry collection Because I Love You, I Become War; an autobiography, The Inventor; and a flash fiction collection collaboration with harry k stammer, Getting To One. Other recent books include a first novel DoveLion: A Fairy Tale for Our Times; two French books, PRISES (Double Take) (trans. Fanny Garin) and La Vie erotique de l’art (trans. Samuel Rochery); and a book-length essay Kapwa’s Novels. She invented the hay(na)ku, a 21st century diasporic poetic form; the MDR Poetry Generator that can create poems totaling theoretical infinity; and the “Flooid” poetry form that’s rooted in a good deed. More information is at https://eileenrtabios.com.
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