A few minutes before a football game as the crowd gets settled in their seats. Doesn’t seem like a big deal, right? To Trinity Singers, however, those few minutes singing pre-game music mean a great deal.

Mr. Scott Ross, Trinity music teacher and director of ensembles, cited a poem written by Trinity Singer Eric Gallehr-Miracle, a senior, that provides “insight into how much all the little things we do here at Trinity mean to him.”

 

“An Anthem”

The choir room, tense random bursts of song and music, we wait

The moment draws near, it’s time to prepare

As always, someone in traffic is late

A Frantic flurry of texts arise, it’s okay, he’ll be on time he says, we all hope

The missing member comes rushing up, warm up starts, we settle in

Then it’s time, the field, it beckons

With sport coats half on we greet the haze

Singing raucously to whatever ’80s pop the press box decides to play

Through the gates, “sing like a Rock,” it never gets old

 

Weaving, striding onto the field greeting players by name to no avail

They’re in the zone, faces stone, unyielding to a friendly call

Gazes turn to the visitors practicing, unknowing of the beating they’ll surely hail

A ball, somehow, makes its way to our feet

We hold it feeling, and looking, way out of place it’s reclaimed

Someone hands out coupons and a microphone

The players retreat

The time grows near

 

The clock reads ten three zero, we commence the walk

In a line whose order was predetermined minutes earlier

As we find our place, the announcer speaks, we listen, for it’s his turn to talk

Introducing a class of long ago or a mothers group that holds the flag

Then the mic is hot, we bring out the pitch pipe from a jacket pocket

Or look to the one that knows the note

Our leader who, like the craftsman whose name he shares

Artfully begins us with purposeful confidence

 

The songs begin, the cameras click, we find our stride and instinct takes hold

concentrating not on the lyrics but on our smiles, on the reverent crowd or how clear the sky is

How far the mic is, that one note there, on projecting our music strong and bold

Focus on the student section, beginning to fill for the night’s excitement

Drown out the echo, the off key fans, the sideline reporters

The opposing team, the flag being raised, No

We focus on why we’re Here, sweating in suits, at a game, on the weekend

For one, simple reason

We’re here to do the thing we love the most with the people that love it too

 

Then, all too soon it’s over, the crowd erupts, the students scream

The message of freedom still bright in their minds

We move off the field, names being read off, when we hear ours we can’t help but beam

Someone calls for the microphone we nearly left with

The president, the usual good job fellas, then it’s off

Off to the choir room dodging people, cars, crosswalks

Shedding ties, jackets, slacks in favor of tonight’s themed spirit wear

Off in a hurry, can’t miss a second, but we’ll be back next week and happily do it all over again.

                                                          — Trinity senior Eric Gallehr-Miracle