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After winning bronze in the men’s super-G, Olympian Bode Miller cries during an interview.


In this latest installment, the poet looks at the tearful interview Olympian Bode Miller gave after winning a bronze in the men’s super-G in which he was asked repeatedly by NBC’s Christin Cooper about his brother, Chelone, a snowboarder who died last year at age 29. The interview drew widespread criticism on social media. A note was later posted on Miller’s Twitter saying ‘‘Please be gentle w christin cooper, it was crazy emotional and not all her fault. #heatofthemoment’’ According to the Associated Press, NBC said in a statement “”We understand how some viewers thought the line of questioning went too far, but it was our judgment that his answers were a necessary part of the story.”




Hey, Christin Cooper, you nailed it, you nailed it!

And it was close—good have been a bust,

because I could see you about to walk away

with just that beautiful man giving his half smile,

and maybe people would think—Hey, so he got

a medal and he is so cool, and he can handle anything.

But you stopped yourself, and you guys, you

and the camera man—him with that close focus

that I could even see Bode’s pimples, and you,

oh you, with your voice about to break, and wow—

the questions!  Remember when you said, like

okay, Bode, when you were at the top of the slope,

you were talking, your lips were moving and you

were looking to the sky, right?  And like was it

your brother you were talking to?  It was, wasn’t

it, and then, you did it for him, right?  And I got

so worried when it looked like Bode was going

to be like practical and too honest, like he had not

gotten the memo that this is where he is supposed

to choke up, like this is where he is supposed

to start the weeping—right there, when you said,

it was for him, I mean was it for him, and Bode said,

Well I don’t know if it was for him, because Bode

knew what a stupid a– manipulative question

you were asking, but you had set the trap already,

you genius, you had come like a damn vulture,

and you were going to get that beautiful man

to bawl if it was the last thing you were going to

do, and by any means necessary, by crapping

all over a man’s need to mourn in peace, by taking

the sorrow that we cherish in our throats,

using it to get some ratings, and all this attention,

and screw all of those folks watching who were

squirming, saying, “too much, woman, too much”.

Oh, not you—even when he started to shake,

you went for the kill: What are you feeling, now,

Bode, what are your feelings?  What the hell

kind of question is that, Christin?  The man is crying,

you know what he is feeling.  But, my girl, the best

part is when Bode goes down, right, and we are

trapped like voyeurs by your assault, we don’t

even have a second to change the channel, and you

reach out and touch him on the shoulder (I know

you always wanted to do that, didn’t you?)

Sorry, babe…  Sorry, babe!  Like Bode is your babe now,

like hush little baby, hush, little baby, and I know

in your head you must be saying: I know it’s messed

up, but a girl’s got to do her job.  So you nailed it,

Christin Cooper, brought the man down, and only

the haters will call you down for that, right?  Yeah right.

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