Little Rock, Arkansas, 1957, and Team Universe
Six years old and I’m in love with the American Dream,
Disney, popcorn, Bugs Bunny jokes and strawberry ice cream,
Bug eyed, chewing Hershey bars, watching movies at the base,
Baseball with the crew cut kid with the freckled southern face,
Trying to teach him soccer and the rules of cricket too,
He told me about Arkansas and I could go there soon,
And this Cold War friendship meant I didn’t see the news –
The news of you Terry Roberts, 16 years old, and incidentally black,
Slowly walking up to the gates of Central High School, Little Rock,
Central High School, Little Rock,
Segregated Black and White September Little Rock,
Better call the National Guard, right there to Little Rock,
Better call the National Guard right there to Little Rock;
But then again, I wonder if they showed that news at the Fairford US Base,
Back in Fairford, Gloucestershire, England, autumn 1957,
For it might big rock the Cold War boat,
Little Rock rock the Cold War boat.
But today, on a spring March day in the year 2002,
I met you and heard you speak,
Doctor Roberts, one of the Little Rock 9,
One of the famous historic Little Rock 9,
The Little Rock 9 who changed history,
And there you stood in front of me,
Tall, lean and handsome,
Just like you were on those iconic newsreels,
All those years ago –
And now there you stood, eminent professor and psychologist,
Telling us how the sunshine South spat its segregated hate into your eyes,
How it kicked and punched and intimidated you,
How it stole your pens and pencils and bags,
How it smeared your seats with peanut butter and glass,
How its lynch mobs left Jim Crow effigies hanging
And twisting from the gibbets and burning on the pyres,
How your American Dream of educating yourself,
Of educating yourself for service and ambition,
Turned into a Good Ol’ Boy American Nightmare;
How the ideology of racism tried to imprison or destroy your spirit.
And now there you stood and told us how the nine of you
Agreed upon a self disciplined necessity,
A self disciplined necessity of turning the other cheek,
Of turning the other cheek,
Into the fists of the race hate mob,
Into the face of the race hate mob.
And you told us how you 9 young women and men,
Self-consciously chose to practice non-violent action,
Non-violent action
In the face of armed white prejudice,
In the teeth of armed white prejudice,
For while it punched and kicked and spat and stole
And burned and hanged,
You stood there, proud and still,
Looking into Hatred’s eyes,
Trying to build bridges,
Trying to include them in your hopes,
For as you said today, when talking of humanity,
“Difference is the only thing we all have in common
Difference is the only thing we all have in common.”
“We are all part of Team Universe”
We are all part of Team Universe.
About This Site
Welcome to Football Poets -- a club for all football poets, lovers of football and lovers of (alternative) poetry. Discover poets in every league from respected internationals at the top of their game to young hopefuls in the school playground.
Publish your football poems here and then discuss them with your team mates and fans. We're archived by The British Library, so your masterpieces are in the safe hands of a world-class keeper. What a result!
My Account
Latest Poems
joe morris
29th March 2024
Clik The Mouse
28th March 2024
Crispin Thomas
28th March 2024
joe morris
25th March 2024
Rowan Waller
24th March 2024
Mike Bartram
23rd March 2024
joe morris
21st March 2024
kevin halls
18th March 2024
Richard Williams
18th March 2024
joe morris
18th March 2024
Crispin’s Corner
In Memoriam
Kick It Out & Christmas Truce
Latest Comments
19th March 2024 at 8:00 am
Hi Crispin. Chris Sutton on the radio has gone for a Chelsea v Coventry final. As we know anything can happen in the Cup, and I reckon we can go to the final.
We’re still in with a chance of the play offs too, so lots to go for.
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19th March 2024 at 7:41 am
Hey Kev
Let the masses drool over their odds on City v Unted Final, but who knows how pressure can hit.
Cov and Chels will be rightly labelled as having no chance..but hey …stranger things have happened..
so Chelsea v Coventry…that’s the Final for us!
Best
C
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29th January 2024 at 10:03 pm
Hi Crispin,
How are you doing mate? Yes, you’re probably right but hey football is all about emotion and passion and I just love writing about the game. I try to keep my poetry to a reasonable length but there’s so much to write about the game and its literature just lends itself naturally to poetry. Sometimes I just get completely carried and I do apologise for the length of my poetry but it’s a great thrill to be associated with Football Poets.
Cheers mate
Joe
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10th January 2024 at 7:52 pm
You’re right of course Joe but…..it’s actually more of a big welcome break for everyone who is not into Premier League ..I’m talking fans of EFL National League and below…..
Btw …is this actually your longest poem ever !?
Best
Crispin
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8th January 2024 at 4:45 pm
Thanks!
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8th January 2024 at 10:42 am
There’s something so evocative and nostalgic for football fans the world over, in ‘revisiting’ old lost grounds.
Occasionally some remnants remain, with perhaps part of a wall or part or a stand or thre shape of a terrace, but often they are only still there in faded images and in our heads..
Great stuff Graham
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4th January 2024 at 10:13 am
A great idea and well executed. Thanks Graham.
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19th November 2023 at 1:45 pm
Thanks Gacina, glad you liked it, and I have just posted a new one about our points deduction…
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7th November 2023 at 6:34 pm
Today B.B.C post on F.B was titled:Premier League reduced to 18 clubs? I really think it may be interesting to see if this would be Everton’s nightmare and this poem is well suited for this concern.If there would be more difficult battle to stay if there were 18 teams.Great poem and somehow true.
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6th November 2023 at 4:43 pm
Ashington FC have launched a £50,000 Crowdfunder appeal to meet the increased costs of winning promotion last season, to pay for urgent stadium improvements, travel costs and equipment
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