Profile in Courage – Lee Duck-Hee

by Padmaja Iyengar-Paddy

He is so hard of hearing,
That he can’t hear the fans’ cheering.
His style of Tennis is distinct,
As he plays more by instinct.
Yet, has made himself endearing.

Meet S. Korean Lee Duck-Hee*,
Already the darling of many.
Rafael Nadal draws his inspiration
From the way Lee battled tribulation
To get his first ranking of ATP. **

The ongoing Wimbledon will be
The testing ground for Lee Duck-Hee,
Who having lost out on the Singles,
Will vie for a title in the Doubles,
Converting his odds into a victory.

He cannot hear the umpire or line calls,
Nor the sound of the racquet-struck balls.
The grunt of opponents has him unmoved
Since his ears are to all sounds ungrooved.
His instincts will decide if he rises or falls.

At fifteen years of age,
Lee is already a rage
Having made a name
In a highly professional game
My salutes to this epitome of courage.

* Who is Lee Duck-Hee? Read here:
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-sports/if-i-was-to-hear-i-want-to-hear-the-fans-cheering-lee-duckhee/article4867825.ece

** Association of Tennis Professionals

01-Jul-2013

More By : Padmaja Iyengar-Paddy

Views: 1409 Comments: 8

Comments on this Poem

Thanks a ton Kulbir and Shernaz for liking this poem. You've made my day:-)

Padmaja Iyengar
03-Jul-2013 22:15 PM

Very inspiring...thanks for sharing this.

shernazwadia
03-Jul-2013 11:34 AM

Padmaja,

My gratitude for your inspirational poem.

Kulbir
02-Jul-2013 19:03 PM

Thanks Hema for liking this one and your appreciation.

Padmaja Iyengar
02-Jul-2013 12:33 PM

Awesome Verse....thanks for sharing.

Hema Ravi
02-Jul-2013 12:09 PM

Thank you so much Rupradha and Kingshuk for your appreciation, which coming from accomplished poets like you, means a lot to me. Thanks again.

Padmaja Iyengar
02-Jul-2013 11:55 AM

Truly Inspiring......... will power and passion can take one to any height.......Thank you so much for sharing - A beautiful poem!

Kingshuk
02-Jul-2013 09:03 AM

very inspiring!!

rupradha mookerjee
02-Jul-2013 06:52 AM