Football Poets

Liam Coyle

¶ 1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 Like a comet, brightly flaring,
Blending subtle skill and daring,
He arrived, with trumpets blaring,
Blaring in the northern skies.
Talent harnessed to endeavour,
Heroism that would never
Tarnish, and would gleam forever,
Brightly did his star arise.
Never did his home roots sever,
As his sparkling star did rise.

¶ 2 Leave a comment on verse 2 0 Into legend, he strode, for he
Wrote the Derry City story,
Helped his side to treble glory,
Glory never witnessed since.
Internationally rewarded,
When so soon the chance afforded,
Universally applauded,
Shyly grinned the Derry prince.
Countless goals in time recorded,
Modest was the Derry prince.

¶ 3 Leave a comment on verse 3 0 Round the globe so brightly feted,
Value never overstated,
Bashful, yet so highly-rated,
Rated with each goal he struck.
Onto greatness he alighted,
Targetted by Man United,
Then most cruelly, cruelly blighted,
By most inauspicious luck.
Justice, thou have been indited
On the sword of vicious luck!

¶ 4 Leave a comment on verse 4 0 A future dashed in but one second
With despair, for it was reckoned
Destiny so brightly beckoned,
Beckoned to the Derry King.
Famous clubs in time stopped calling,
In a vista most appalling.
On the scrapheap, he was crawling,
Broken by a glint of steel.
Down the wreckage he came falling,
Struck down by a glint of steel.

¶ 5 Leave a comment on verse 5 0 At the bottom, he lay broken,
Full of fading dreams, unspoken,
Memories now just a token,
Token of what might have been.
Twenty one years old, they told him
Football’s future did not hold him,
Inner strength had not paroled him
From a destiny unseen.
Out to pasture, thus they rolled him,
Left him there to mourn unseen.

¶ 6 Leave a comment on verse 6 0 Through the fire so fiercely blazing,
Forehead etched with cuts and grazing,
With a purpose quite amazing,
Gazing with calm fortitude,
He limped through, where giants fainted,
Jersey white, with fresh blood painted,
Handsome face with ash-smoke tainted,
With resilience imbued.
Hobbling, came the battling, sainted
Figure with deep faith imbued.

¶ 7 Leave a comment on verse 7 0 He never graced the famed San Siro,
But grappled upwards from Ground Zero,
To become a special hero,
Hero of the Brandywell.
Goals of power, goals of cunning,
Goals that stemmed from clever running,
Goals that could be simply stunning,
From his head and swift feet fell.
All the while the spotlight shunning,
Records in succession fell.

¶ 8 Leave a comment on verse 8 0 Centre backs, so tough and steely,
Now can breathe a mite more freely,
As they ascertain he really,
Really won’t be facing them.
In the mind’s eye, fans are roaring,
Urging, pushing and imploring.
Look! Here comes Big Liam scoring,
Notching yet another gem.
Watch his star in glory soaring.
Hail to Derry’s priceless gem!

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