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Poems tagged ‘Euro 2021’

Missing in London Town

John J O’Connor

Friday, July 16th, 2021

Watched a moc-documentary last Friday night
An old one from Nineteen-Sixty-Six
About a young girl seeking fun and kicks
In the swinging Town of London.

Her name was Cathy Ward
She was young, spirited and free
And from the boredom of suburbia
She made her mind to flee
To the swinging Town of London.

But she soon found herself in trouble
Ended up living out and down
On those unforgiving, filthy, streets
Of a grimy London town
“Cathy Come Home” was the plea
And she did just that eventually.

Watched a film last Saturday night
About a Collier dog called Lassie
Blaming allergies for my tears
When Lassie went off to roam
But when the film had ended up
Lassie – had come home.

Watched a match last Sunday night
Between England and the boys from Rome
A frenzied nation screaming
Pointing at the football
And begging the English kicking it
Could they please now
BRING IT HOME.

It ended up in tears that night
Though two out of three aint bad
Cathy and Lassie both came on home
But the football ending’s sad
Overall the players were brilliant
They let no-body down
But the football is still missing
Somewhere in London Town

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En Route

Carol Stewart

Sunday, July 11th, 2021

It’s a sign, they say, the lights turning red as we approach
the cross of Saint George attached to a nearby balcony,
Sweet Caroline on the radio, and those eagerly expectant
moved-down-south jocks bantering and trilling

Okay let’s compromise,
if it’s a boy we’ll call him Mac-Guire.

Across the road

Get the beers in mate, it’s coming home!

Pizzas arranged to spell it out in meat feast and pepperoni,
Asda’s in-store display and that of the Italian –

Cheers, Roberto, touché, and just you wait…

But it’s a sign, he says,
that flag being caught by the wind, flapping round.
And we watch it waving white as the lights change.

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Never Happy (England 4, Ukraine 0)

Richard Hough

Tuesday, July 6th, 2021

What sort of football game was that
won in under five minutes flat?
Lacking tension, angst and pain
and groans of “here we go again!”
No shouting at the referee
explaining how he cannot see;
no scrambled, last-ditch goal line clearance
or dogged English perseverance.

My fingernails remain intact
because there was no final act –
a shoot-out from the twelve yard spot
so we’d lament how close we got.
Come on lads, think more of us;
give us the chance to swear and cuss
like all those nice young men have done
when losing games at Wimbledon

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On Matters of Life and Death and the Euros

Carol Stewart

Monday, July 5th, 2021

Who says
…………………………….. we can’t have a party
………………………………tuck into the strawberries
………………………………crack open the Pimm’s

during
the football
………………………………it’s wrong
………………………………and so unfair
………………………………him missing Wimbledon
………………………………and almost every match

got to work
you know……………. cleaning touch-points at Job Centre Plus

either that
or………………………….helping his mates change the wheels on their cars,
……………………………..he’s such an outgoing chap, so confident

hope …………………… he hasn’t caught the virus

to check……………….he’s taken a test

the result …………….negative, he says

it’s not that …………I don’t believe him

important ……………as it is

it’s just…………………..he’s kept things from me before

………………………………..he plays

a game …………………..with me
…………………………………he tells me
…………………………………………..here, top up your glass,
……………………………………………………..have a strawberry
like it
doesn’t matter ………………………… cough, cough…

Sure…
……………………………..he’s late tonight, but hey
……………………………..just look at those crowds, just listen,
…………………………….. they say England’s winning

……………………………. and football’s coming home,
……………………………..yes, football’s coming home
……………………………..even if he isn’t.

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Danes slaughter Wales – haiku

John J O’Connor

Saturday, June 26th, 2021

CHRISTIAN Eriksen
HANS nurse back his medicine
jumps from bed and cheers

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The Pessimistic Predictor

John J O’Connor

Friday, June 11th, 2021

I know with predictions you can eat what you say
ENGLAND EXPECTS
Things to go – England’s way

But here’s what I think
coach Southgate will preach
When they lose in the quarters
then head to the beach.
“The players they were tired they’d all had a long season
I’m not making excuses but it seems a good reason.
The lads were magnificent they gave all that they had.
To go out on those spots kicks was so very sad.
We practiced pen-os in training
We marked all our cards
But you won’t beat the Germans
when the balls at twelve yards.
We all feel for young Declan
He’s got the support of the group
But he’ll now get a commercial
Advertising Rice and bean soup.
We’ll regroup and move on
it will make us much stronger
England will lift up a trophy
Sooner rather than longer
We’ll Make England Great
I know it sounds Presidential
But it will be next year in Qatar
When we’ll reach our potential.”

Then a pressman storms in
And shouts from the back
Do you know Gareth
You’ve just got the sack?

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The Poetry of Euro ’21 (Football Poets 2000-2021)

Crispin Thomas

Monday, May 3rd, 2021

none of us can know how it will happen
no-one here is really really sure
we’re struggling now to get our heads around it
and wishing it could be just like before
but after everything that we have been through
in what has been the strangest saddest year
we may not know if we can go or be there
but suddenly a tournament draws near
so all we ask is keep your poems flowing
soon so soon the games will have begun
and may our rhymes reflect these times..it’s coming
the poetry of Euro ’21

for in the Spring in Stroud back in 2000
we poets sat outside of Mills Café
and in that courtyard round a wooden table
a plan was hatched that still remains today
where once our football words were only spoken
at gigs or when we’d meet up in some bar
with all our thoughts confined to bits of paper
the chance at last to spread our verses far
the idea seemed preposterous and crazy
perhaps we were indeed the only ones
but somehow with the help of Dave* and Stuart
the Football Poets website had begun

we launched in June when Summer brought the Euros
to Belgium and to Netherlands that year
and to our joy the poems came in numbers
from those who loved the game from far and near
and meanwhile in that hazy crazy summer
we stood or sat with eyes glued to those screens
as flags they flew on pubs and cars and buildings
we followed in our numbers with our dreams
and hopes grew strong although our group looked daunting
that golden day when when we beat Germany
only to lose out to Romania
with that despairing last gasp penalty

we drowned our sorrows barely three days later
and we all swore we’d win the thing next time (!)
when we went down to Glaston’bry for Bowie
and Coldplay made an entrance there so fine
before we knew of masks or isolation
before the kind of past year we’ve all known
before our media became so social
before we could not live without our phones
but we’re still here whichever clubs we follow
and all our words arrive here just the same
reflecting still in voices loud and booming
our love or loathing for the People’s Game
and from that fateful meeting in 2000
the friends we’ve made.. the journey on the way
we carry on regardless and remember
the plan we hatched that still remains today

and after everything that we have been through
in what has been the strangest saddest year
we may not know if we can go or be there
but suddenly a tournament draws near
so all we ask is keep your poems flowing
soon so soon the games will have begun
may all our rhymes reflect these times..it’s coming
the poetry of Euro ’21

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Source: https://footballpoets.org/news/poem-tags/euro-2021/