A Day In The Life Of A Soccer Ball

• Emily Squadrito, Grade 6
• Poetry
• 2008

The great amount of mud on the soccer field was enough to engulf a grown mans foot as he tried to tiptoe across.
Today was the Grand-Final match between the Panthers and the Bears and I, being the ball was the most important role in the game. I was the Panthers’ ball so I supported them. PEEP, the whistle blew as I braced myself for impact.
Whoopf I was kicked by a boot right in the back side and headed by a brawny kid two times bigger than the one before (or so I thought).
All I could see were colossal feet all around me, all I could smell was sweat and socks all I could hear was the thudding and crashing of feet around me and on me.
The net and I were good friends so I tried to manage to make a conversation while flying through the posts. “Tangled in the net again” sighed the ref as he untangled me and passed me to the goalie. I think our team is winning the game because I’m positive I have not been past our goalie Danny yet.
Oh no injury, I smacked some kid in the face from our team!! Samantha a girl on my team has been seriously injured. The games going pear-shaped.
The sun was blocked by the clouds as if they were immense brick walls. I was kicked into a circle of kids with no escape but over the top. It was like I was in a prison trying to escape from the torture.
The kick rebounded off some sweaty shin-pads and toward the opposition goalie. I was praying like mad for it to get in the goal because it would allow us to break the tie between us and the Bears and if our team won the kids would eat pizza and have milkshakes to celebrate.
I was being dribbled along by Bengi, a hulking sort of a kid who kicked hard. Bracing myself for a collision with the post or the goalie and holding my breath. I sailed through the air like a sailing boat gliding over the ocean, my heart racing like a raging bull. It happened in slow motion…..
“GGGGGOOOOOAAAALLLLLl” shouted the ref as our team rejoiced by hugging, giving each other high fives, yelling and all that stuff. Parents doing exactly the same as the kids made them giggle and finally after shaking hands with the Bears they flopped down exhausted by it all. We then had the awards. The awards were just a little thing our team does to support the kids as well as encourage them to do well. The manager told them what a great job they did. Samantha, Danny and Bengi were awarded with certificates and Hayden won the “Magic Moment” award. I was put in my cozy, lovely little house (the bag) and was thrown in the boot of the coach’s car. We were taken to Pizza Palace to commemorate the victory.
I love being who I am, to most people just another ball but I’m the ball that won the Grand Final today!