It is the community singing that does it for my Dad every time,
Every rugby and football match those anthems for the common man.
They capture heart and soul, and bridge dreams and memories
And he sings with them, they become one voice,
one song, one breath-taking moment
of shared understanding and surrender,
of solidarity, stoicism and strength.
His heart was broken
In that shared moment he saw it and claimed it.
His grief, his passion, his anger, his will to live
all in the community singing.
They sing for him.
Alison Jean Hankinson
This is for Poetics and the evening is being hosted by Paul Scribbles and the theme was community.
His heart was broken is a play on the words from The Proclaimers song Sunshine on Leith which is the anthem for Hibernian Football club. It has become one of my dad’s favourites even though he is a Turf Moor fan at heart.
Here is a link to a rendition of it:
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Hues of Hankinson 
That I can understand. There’s nothing like a stirring song for giving people the impression of sharing. Good poem 🙂
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Wonderful post. I grew up on the terraces at Maine Rod in Manchester and know all too well this feeling. Thanks for stirring up some wonderful memories of that particular community Alison. I’ve seen the Hibs clip before as it was shared widely across football forums at the time. I’m still a big fan of the game.
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Singing together does bring out “shared understanding and surrender”. Then I can see how his heart can be broken in the process. That’s the first time I heard Sunshine on Leith.
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Rugby looks tougher than American football, which can kill strong men with its violence. Anthems are Us, actually, from the political strife of the 60’s to the throes of Trumpland, with lips bleeding, we sing on together.
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So aptly describes the phenomenon! Well done.
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Singing together brings out the best in us, stirs the heart. I love male voice choirs so much that sometimes my chest feels like it will burst.
Anna :o]
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This is beautiful. I especially love:
“one voice,
one song, one breath-taking moment
of shared understanding and surrender”
That’s community, right there.
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Love the double meaning of ‘sing’ in this poem!
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I love this…we can all come together and sing ~
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Oh yes, Alison, I agree about singing together! I do it at the Invidia Rock and Soul Choir on a Monday evening. Good for the soul!
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Love the thought of what a song can do stir the hearts.
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