Under the pile

We can't all be Chris Jones

Day 13 of 30 Days of Poetry, Autumn 2024

“Football isn't necessarily won by the best players.
It's won by the team with the best attitude.”

- George Allen, former LA Rams coach

Not every player 
lands first string
or front line.
You learn that watching
high school ball--
all those kids 
shoulder pad to shoulder,
shuffling the sideline,
sliding en masse
a few yards 
and a few more
while 11+ a few
rotate the play.

Not every player
rushes the blitz
(we can’t all be
Chris Jones not 
even Chris Jones
every play);
time to take turns
covering the unlikely bomb
guarding the shady TE
snatching at a wily RB.

Not every player
scores, tossing the ball
to his end zone mama,
making history
making highlights, 
remembered for
anything beyond 
his stats. Sweat
accumulates and
is washed away.

You might find me
under the pile
waiting for bodies 
to peel off,
mask full of turf,
counting progress 
in stops, in human
guardrails, in
a flattening
reversal of fortune.

---

Today’s prompt comes from my brother John: linebacker. He probably thinks he’s being funny or challenging, or he just has LA Rams on the brain.

Everyone in my family loves sports, and three of us play fantasy football together.

As for the Coach Allen quote: one of the reasons I think the Chiefs continue to be so good is a winning attitude, even when they aren’t playing their best game. Change my mind.

Thanks for reading!