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Mums game

Neale Blackburn

Monday, February 10th, 2003

1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 She was only at a single game
I never knew just why she came
Oncology unknown to me
in my fight to climb the tree
A touring team came into town
She announced she would be down
Stand behind the goal I guarded
News that I quickly discarded
to thoughts of steps that I would take
to complete the game without mistake
take further steps that I saw clear
towards the dream of a pro career.
She had been ill but seemed much better
never mentioned a specialists letter
Eighty minutes one nil ahead
over matched clinging on and run ragged
Free kick conceded 20 paces
Set the wall we took our places
waited bounced on balls of feet
ready tensed to take the heat.
Focussed shielded from facts unlearned
more virulent cancer had returned
kicker clipped it round the side
two quick paces then to glide
across the widening space between
cherished lead and honours even
stretching full length spreading fingers
elation of the save still lingers
and after she recalled with pride
how complete strangers by her side
called what a save by that young lad
and their exaltations made her glad
never mind that as I crashed to ground
overstretched I presented rebound
to gleeful northern fan of tizer
who hammered in the equaliser
six months later she was gone
God how I wish we’d both held on

© norm the jedi 2003

Notes

All true testament to the fact that you never really see your parents as people until you’ve grown and some of us learn too late that we have been robbed of the chance to know the people inside the parents…
A happy and a melancholy memory on several levels all at once..

Source: http://footballpoets.org/poems/mums-game/