I tossed the birdie high into the sky
Then spiked it with my trusty ping-pong paddle
Alas, my shrewd opponent did decry
The placement of my flag preceding battle,

But lo, he stood in a reversal zone,
And so my penalty on him would fall
Through song and dance my error to atone,
Except I raised aloft the volleyball

And threw it mightily into a tree
Where it did lodge- a most palpable hit
Which made the score purple to forty-three
Until it dawned: my goal was opposite.

For chaos holds insanity in thrall
When one’s engaged in playing Calvinball.