Sammy the Banana Slug - July 28 2023

 

Sammy the Banana Slug

July 28 2023

Kids want to hug him.

Teenage girls

shimmy to his moves,

while their boyfriends

toss beer cans

at the giant cartoon head.

The team mascot

is a plush toy

with a punny name;

kindly, cuddly, cheeky

he runs up and down the sidelines

like cheerleader in chief.

While inside

a poorly paid intern

with a pale pimply face

is dripping wet

in the hot clammy interior

that smells of old sweat.

Can barely see

through the badly placed eye-holes,

keeps stumbling

over invisible feet.

He only volunteered

because no one else

wanted the job.

Is not nearly as lovable

as the cartoon animal

with the big yellow head

and paper mâché smile,

Like the Wizard of Oz

behind the flimsy curtain

he is powerless and small,

and all in all

would rather be somewhere else.

But even the parents

who should know better

suspend their disbelief.

Because we all need fantasy,

and because the mascot

gives the home team an edge.

While the heat-addled intern

who always danced so well

has to admit

he enjoys showing off.

And who can resist

all those star-struck kids

flocking after him,

the unstinting love

he could only imagine

in real life.

Sammy the Banana Slug, the actual thing mascot for the University of California, Santa Cruz. Not the inspiration for the poem, but rather chosen after the fact simply because of its silliness. Not to mention that a slow homely slug hardly is hardly the most suitable representative for a competitive athletic team!