Pilgrim’s Progress
¶ 1
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I was determined to boycott the World Cup,
And be like Christian in Pilgrim’s Progress:
Avoiding all seductive temptations,
And deceptions from the ‘beautiful game’ –
For the arguments against watching,
Reached all the way up to the heavens.
¶ 2
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And so, I tip-toed like a Puritan,
On my personal Pilgrim’s Progress,
Walking these redemptive hills and valleys,
In search of dispensation and indulgence:
A throng of allegory surrounded me
As the group stages unfolded piecemeal:
Evangelist, Obstinate, Help, Pliable,
Wordly-Wise, Good Will, Despair, Faithful,
Legality, Civility, Ignorance, Hopeful.
¶ 3
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And when I climbed Rodborough Hill:
The Wicket Gate, the Slough of Despond,
The Hill of Difficulty, the Shining Light,
The Valley of Humiliation, Vanity Fair,
House Beautiful, Mount Clear,
The River of Death and Delectable Mountains –
I had almost reached the Celestial City,
When I noticed the next England games
Chalked on a blackboard at The Prince Albert …
¶ 4
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I was determined to boycott the World Cup,
And be like Christian in Pilgrim’s Progress:
Avoiding all seductive temptations,
And deceptions from the ‘beautiful game’,
For the arguments against watching,
Reached all the way up to the heavens.
¶ 5 Leave a comment on verse 5 0 But then I entered The Prince Albert …
36
Stuart, you are not alone, in your dichotomy of doubt
but without dissention
you stand alone
in hogging our attention!