Friday Night Lights

You always know that Summer is coming to an end when you see football teams emerging from weight rooms and returning to hot football fields. I become very nostalgic this time of year. Football was one of the toughest sports I ever played but was very rewarding. It mimics life in many ways. Some of my toughest practices led to some of my greatest games. Some of my worst injuries led to a stronger body and a sharper mind. I trained to take the blows but trained even harder to avoid them altogether.

The following is a poem I wrote a few years ago thinking about my football days. I have noticed that many football players have trouble letting go of the game. Most of these young athletes usually go from being leaders in their school, playing in front of hundreds or even thousands on Friday night, to not even being able to play the game again after high school. It is not an easy transition. The fact is that many sports can be played after high school but football is really not one of them. It would not be safe to see 40 year old men suiting up in shoulder pads and helmets. Many are just left with their stories but mostly their memories of a game that was played for a relatively short period of time yet will stay with them forever.

Local Heroes

Small town lights fill a dark, blue sky
The smell of wet, hot grass remind you of two-a-days gone bye
The sound of silence is broken by the tearing of tape
Pads and braces have replaced this Superman’s cape
Joints stiffened by these temporary casts
With the hope that they will protect you from an injury from the past
You wear your coat of armor and wait anxiously underground
Until the gates are opened and you are released to that familiar sound
A sound you’ve heard in your head many times before
Through blood, sweat, and tears it kept you coming back for more
A whistle sounds and commands the whole world to stand still
While you race up and down green streets not with legs but heart and will
For you are the carrier of a torch that burns bright
Many can see its flame but few endure the fight
For the glory, the comradery, the rewards that it bestows
And a chance to join the club of other local heroes

© Randy Blair 2007