Lockerroom banter easing down.
Your mind is quiet yet cramped with a single thought.
The game ahead is what you see;
the opponent,
the weather,
the referee.

You prepare yourself for battle.
Gearing up with strategies, strength, and footed skills.
You pack them carefully within your soul,
for that, is where the love of the game is stored.

The hoopla outside begins to churn inside you.
Your heart palpitates wildly.
Tensed nerves appear.
Neuron transmitters, fired up!

Onto the pitch you go, side by side your kindred spirits.
They are the ones who know your ways,
the ones who’ll carry you when you’re down.

The excitement in the air fills you up like crashing waves.
But to the crowd you present control, readiness, no fear.
The whistle blows then the mastery begins.
You see the crowd’s wide-eyed expressions.
Did you see that?
UNBELIEVABLE!
The Puskas move,
the Reverse scissors,
the 360,
an occasional bicycle kick,
are poetry in motion to me.
Throughout the 90 minutes, your tenacious fight does not cease.
In the end, your PLAY, is your personal victory.
It is a belief you carry with you everyday.

When you walk into the lockerroom,
you begin to unload.
A gift you leave behind is passion,
abundant in your soul.
As you walk away you listen
to the empty stadium’s roar.

12/12/2011

Author's Note: For the love of soccer.

Posted on 12/13/2011
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