Cut from youth football
“We thank you for trying,”
The coach said,
“but we don’t have room for everyone.”
Then it started.
One by one,
The chosen ones went to join
Their chosen mates.
And then it was done –
Thirty of them,
Eight of us –
The leftovers.
We thank you for trying,
But we don’t have room
For everyone.
The ride home
Was quiet and harsh.
I looked at the stars
blurred by my tears
And thought of the words
Of my coach – my father.
We thank you for trying,
But we don’t have room
For everyone.
I rode in the front seat;
This was rare,
For in a large family,
The front seat doesn’t have room
For everyone.
