Poems tagged ‘Coronavirus’
Before And After All This
God decides,
Or human actions on earth decide,
Somewhere between
God, Humans and Earth.
Football had the strange transition period
Once people spoke of the Barcelona crowd
causing the smallest earthquake
after the goal.
Nowadays, such an earthquaqe
is not going to happen.
The human battle against
Coronavirus must be won
and then – once again the joy and the
roar of thousands will cause the smallest earthquake.
Let us hope
that such a phenomenon
will be coming soon.
Coronaviruus crises must end.
a little birdie…
Notes on a summer’s eve jog, during the pandemic
they all look on…
the raucous rooks rollick:
“hey porky, you’re too unfit”
the jiggedy jackdaw japes:
“you’re too infirm”
the swooping swifts swipe:
“you’re too slow!”
the picky pigeon proffers:
“you’re like my juicy worms – no legs!”
and the wriggly wren whispers:
“you’d never cut it you know,
not at your age”….
and though they be the words of a sage –
from my elevated position mid-jog
I still take a longing look across the verdant valley
over to what was a manicured park
where regulation white lines
are now masked (as are we)
by un-tamed, over-lush, emerald swards
rather than the hordes
of excited onlookers
And my mood isn’t helped (on my return home)
as I watch son #3
rummage and rescue
then lob his abandoned boots into a bag
and cycle off to meet his buddies
to assuage their craving
for socially distanced: passing, shooting, saving
and no doubt
a tekkers-bout…..
“Jealousy, jealousy, custard
Stick your nose in mustard!”…..
alack, in this spell of labyrinthine lockdown
I thought I’d grown to like and admire
that trilling, flame-breasted robin! 🙁
Barracking Trump
Can we do it?
Yes we can!
And we did
We went out and we played our matches
Bettered the opposition when we could
And enjoyed sporting contests
With fluent football to the fore.
But now we regrettably face
An opponent that side-swipes us
Invades and infects
And trips up our lungs, squeezing them
To oblivion.
In our post-match analysis, the finger pointing has started
With a clarity emerging
That we had a better class of defenders
Under previous management.
“Absolute chaotic disaster”
Would be like Fergie calling out Mourinho
Or Keano dissing McCarthy;
Instead we have Obama, amidst the drama
Voicing our firm suspicion
As too many more
Head to the mortician.
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!
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Latest Poems
Denys E. W. Jones
31st May 2025
joe morris
31st May 2025
Clik The Mouse
30th May 2025
Clik The Mouse
28th May 2025
Emdad Rahman
28th May 2025
Mike Bartram
27th May 2025
joe morris
26th May 2025
steve mingle
23rd May 2025
Mike Bartram
22nd May 2025
joe morris
22nd May 2025
Crispin’s Corner
In Memoriam
Kick It Out & Christmas Truce
Latest Comments
24th May 2025 at 7:19 am
Hi Steve
I’ve come across you before on the live poetry circuit…something I’ve also been involved in since the late 90s at slams, gigs and festivals. Did you ever get to Glasto?
I was also at Swindon when José subbed and berated Kevin in a League Cup game for Chelsea….
Salah as you point out went the same way…
Be interesting to see Kev’s next move?
Best
Crispin
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24th April 2025 at 1:05 pm
Hey Denys..love this
“You may be a miner working down a pit.
You may be a rock star playing sold out gigs.
You may be a fireman putting out a blaze.
You may be an inmate chalking off the days. ”
Not just Dylan but maybe an unintentional nod to and shades of Ian Dury’s enigmatic ‘What A Waste’ rhythmic scanning..eg:
I could be the driver in an articulated lorry
I could be a poet I wouldn’t need to worry
I could be a teacher in a classroom full of scholars
I could be the sergeant in a squadron full of wallahs
What a waste
What a waste
Was lucky enough to meet and interview him twice.
Best wishes from Forest Green to Genoa C
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8th March 2025 at 2:34 pm
Thanks Crispin
I’ve been to FGR a couple of times in the past – great food! Barnet look like they have the NL sewn up for this season, but I wish you well for promotion next season.
Regards, Beth
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11th January 2025 at 8:13 am
TO ADD THIS TO THIS POEM’S COMMENT:WELCOME BACK DAVID MOYES!!!
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27th November 2024 at 5:55 am
‘You’re Supposed To Be At Home’ is an excellent and moving poem Denys.
You start off thinking it’s just about another oft-sung chant, one we personally heard a lot last season throughout our second relegation in a row here at Forest Green(FGR) ! I always love poems where you think they are saying one thing and then they suddenly pull you deeper to somewhere or something else else.
I’m currently helping in a local school for FGR in a voluntary capacity using football to help young students with reading. At an upcoming session we will tackle racism, just like we did in workshops at football schools and grounds when we first started this site 24 years ago. I’m gonna try and weave your poem into a session.
We’ve added it to the Anti- Racism/Kick It Out section under Crispin’s Corner.
Best C
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26th November 2024 at 1:59 pm
Great poem and great to see you back Wyn.
Don’t leave it so long next time my friend!
More please.
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13th September 2024 at 6:14 pm
Welcome to Football Poets Beth
Great evocative poem Beth….
More please !
Haiku always welcome.
Hope we (FGR) get to play you again soon
Best
Crispin
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26th July 2024 at 6:25 pm
Great poem Mike Bartram. Eddie was a legend, affectionately known in Liverpool as, “the first hooligan.” Even the hoolies were well dressed in those days. The amazing thing was he was only 26 when that picture was taken. He’d played for Everton youth team and was well known to the players. He never got arrested. They threw him out and he climbed back in, just in time for Derek Temples winner.
I used the picture of him being tackled to the ground on the front cover of my book, “Once Upon a rhyme in Football.” It’s worth looking on youtube and finding the re-enactment of the Wembley scene. Frank Skinner and Baddiel went around to Eddies home in the 1990’s and acted it out on the green outside. It’s hilarious, especially all the effort they put in to get Eddie sober enough to shoot the scene.
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10th July 2024 at 6:07 pm
Hi Crispin,
I don’t know if you’ve see the picture in social media today…
a picture of a teenage Lionel Messi cradling a baby in Africa as part of a photoshoot…. the family had won a lottery to have their baby pictured with him….
the photographer has just revealed that the baby is actually in fact Lamine Yamal!!!!
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