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The Indian Juggler

Daniel McDonagh

Wednesday, April 26th, 2006

1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 Players from all nations
Have represented Celtic on the pitch,
Where their culture is glorified
In wearing a Celtic strip,
And a man from India,
Where traditions are steep,
Stepped onto Parkhead’s hallowed turf
Wearing only bandages on his feet.

2 Leave a comment on verse 2 0 Mohammed Salim, to Calcutta,
He was born,
At a time when Nationalist,
Fought the British Crown,
Independence was the cry
Against “The Colonial Rule”,
Where matters could have been settled
With a game of football.

3 Leave a comment on verse 3 0 Mohammed’s career started with the
Mohammedan Sporting Club,
Where his skills on the wing
Helped them to 5 consecutive championships,
Then he headed for Europe,
Where days were dark and cold
As he set sail on the ocean liner,
“The City Of Cairo.”

4 Leave a comment on verse 4 0 Life in London,
Didn’t warm to his soul,
As he took to the sights
Of industrial Glasgow,
Where his gifted skills
Would be put on display,
As he was offered a trial by
Celtic’s Willie Maley.

5 Leave a comment on verse 5 0 Then, he wore for the first time,
The famous green & white hoops,
But his feet were strapped with bandages,
Not, leather football boots,
He shone like a diamond
In his few Celtic games,
Where headlines and praise
Offered him a little piece of fame.

6 Leave a comment on verse 6 0 Homesick for India,
Overshadowed his play,
As his career with Celtic
Was just a short stay,
But a charity match
Was played in his honour,
And he donated the gate receipts,
To Glasgow’s needy orphans.

7 Leave a comment on verse 7 0 “The Indian Juggler
With the twinkling toes”
Took his skill and trickery
Away from Glasgow’s shores,
He’s still remembered in
Celtic’s history books,
As his son still possesses,
Mohammed Salim’s old green & white hoops.

Notes

Daniel McDonagh

Source: http://footballpoets.org/poems/the-indian-juggler/