Martín Espada's "___ to the Soccer Ball Sailing Over a Barbed Wire Fence"

ODE

Think of a lyrical poem celebrating an ordinary object—this one honors a moment of freedom and defiance in an unexpected setting.

This clue references a well-known poem by Martín Espada, where the missing word is the title’s first part. The answer is "ODE," a type of lyrical poem often celebrating its subject—here, a soccer ball symbolizing freedom or hope. The title plays on the contrast between the ball’s flight and the harsh barrier of barbed wire, a common theme in Espada’s work about social justice. If you know his poetry or the structure of odes, the answer clicks right into place.