My Husband’s Passion
Images by Drazen Zigic, freepik, and macrovector from Freepik
There he is again, lurching halfway
out of his chair, his fingers clenched,
his nose almost grazing the TV screen.
There he is howling, “What an amazing kick!
What a perfect header!” I wish Lionel Messi
would kick sense into his head. I tell him,
“It’s sunny today. Let’s take a walk in the park.”
But no, he’d rather remain parked where he is,
directing his passion to an old TV. He shuts
the blinds to keep sunlight from blinding.
What is it about soccer — or is it called football —
that, like a siren, lures a man away?
“Goal!” he cries, his voice cracking with joy.
“Let’s have a picnic,” I say. “I’ll pack some wine
and honey-chicken wings, your favorite lunch.”
“Did you see the way he ran, dribbling the ball
across the entire field!” is his response.
“Honey,” I add, “I’ve seen and heard enough.”
Here I am again several years later, shivering in a
canvas folding chair. Even the thermal blanket
swathing me cannot subdue the keen sting of the cold.
A chilling wind whips across the field, faster than
Lionel Messi could ever run.
“Goal!” I cry. “What an amazing kick!”
What a kick this game is giving me
now that I root for a favorite player!
My husband laughs, taking my hand. Who knew
what becoming a grandmother could do!
- Silly Jokes and Earth Lessons – Fiction
- His Paradise Lost – A Little Dark Fiction About “The Beautiful Game”
- The Walkabout With My Daughter – Writing Memories
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Lynn Hess
Lynn is a retired middle-school teacher who loved her work and who, for thirty years, also conducted weekly poetry-writing workshops for students in grades K through 8. An educator, a mother of two and a “nana” of three, Lynn especially loves writing poetry inspired by children. Lynn's poetry has appeared or will appear in journals including Spoon River Quarterly, Aeolian Harp, Red Eft Review, Monterey Review, Discretionary Love, and others. Where Tigers Roar in Silence, a book of poetry for children, was published by Lime Rock Press.
