Football Poets

Welcome to …. Anne & Josh

Conscious of the fact that poems don’t get to stay too long on the home page, because of the increasing popularity of the site, I’m going to use this editorial slot to occasionally showcase some of our new talent.

No favouritism is intended. Just a chance for newcomers to shine a little longer.

This week, a warm welcome to Anne Armstrong and also to Josh Hodkinson.

Barcelona v Celtic

A Spanish sea against a Scottish wall
Which team will win? You’d have to say, the waves
And yet the wall’s composure doesn’t crack
The teenage keeper makes stupendous saves.

Like torrents crashing down a waterfall
The Catalan attackers pound away;
Like rocks the Celts’ defence block each attack
A salmon leaps and twists amid the spray –

The keeper gathers, palms, tips every ball
Defenders check and smother each attempt
(Then give the ball away); we watch the clock
Still the waves come; the Spanish don’t relent.

We’re watching through our fingers; hopes were small
Without a goal, but neither side can score
The final whistle blows, and we’re in shock
Our throats are aching but our hearts can soar.

© Anne Armstrong

The Claret Way of Life

Football is a funny game, especially with the Clarets
Sometimes they play some cracking stuff, sometimes they play like carrots
They leave their fans like nervous wrecks, just like the Orient Game
But time and time and time again, they manage to sustain
The familiar sight of Stan the Man, that comic genius
He marshals our claret warriors, even when they’re tedious

But several painful years ago, when ITV shamed us all
We spat at their dirty dealing, we said, “They won’t destroy football”
We battled on, though hard it was, to get a solid squad
We tried some of our youngsters and Chaplow got the nod
He quickly grew and rightly so, was part of England’s plan
And he grew and grew in stature as he stunned us, as he can

So on and on the story goes, of struggle at Turf Moor
Some fans have gone, leaving just the best, of Ternent’s great support
We know it’s tough, and downright hard, but what’s all that to us?
We battle through, like we always do, and show that we’ve got guts
So the fight goes on, and day by day, we battle to the end
So come what may, on judgement day, for us Clarets always mend

© Josh Hodkinson 24/03/04

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