Ghosts

A poem in tribute to the camaraderie of team sports, and a friend forced to retire. 

 

Ghosts

 

Our ghosts play on

While we wash and change

And weary back to work

 

The empty hall echoes in our absence

As he flicks the ball up so he can turn and volley

As another runs hard, chops back and shoots

As he slides past obstacles and hammers one goalward

While urgent messages bounce off the walls, coded,

A pass goes astray, is not forthcoming, too early too late,

Or follows a perfect trajectory, picks out, pinpoint

As he fills the space obscuring the target, no sense no feeling - no goal

 

All the shirts don’t match, training tops, replicas, vintage

and the teams reshuffle each week

 

A player slaloms smoothly, the ball always in possession, rolling.

Another stands over the ball, teases, twitches, waiting for the moment

One runs onto the ball, ignores shouts to shoot and plays in another,

Another holds the ball ignoring pleas to pass,

keeps the ball out of reach until, left foot, bam !

Another lets off a volley, of how unhappy he is with his team

These boys are chameleons, serious then smiles, real wild cards

 

Others came and went,

retired, moved on, but you,

You were taken from us,

And every reminder puts you back in the hall

in triumph or dismay, treating each with good humour

 

A cry for a foul, handball, disputed goal, disputed score,

a pass, an apology, proper marking,

all echo around while we wait for the next match.

 

Your ghost is in there too, finding space, trapping neatly,

holding up and driving one through.

 

The ghosts play on, organised or shambolic,

winning by teamwork, or individual skills and passion,

lucky bounce, unlucky deflection, patient decision or rash folly,

zig zag passes finished crisply,

unstoppable, blocked, intercepted, breakaway,

no one’s tracking back !

 

Appreciation grown over time,

of who and what we are,

respect friendship analysis

 

Blood sweat and tears, mostly sweat

 

Our ghosts they play on,

long after the inquest for this week’s game has ended,

waiting for our return.