Showing posts with label goals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label goals. Show all posts

3 Jun 2010

Cycle Polo






I was walking with two minds
Whether to take left direction
Or just to maintain the trajectory
Walking past the bus stop
I heard chants from some kids
Brother, please retrieve that ball
I looked across the road
I found it in the middle of the road
I went and threw that ball back to the ground
I decided to go to the ground to sit for a while
I sat on the stand beneath that old tree
It’s an old dream hangout for me
I used to play and used to watch lot of games
Football and cricket
But it was a haven for budding cycle polo players
Over the years, I’ve seen many kids
Learning to roll the ball using their sticks
Riding their bicycles
This same ground has been a university
For many players who donned state and national colors
It staged many cycle polo tournaments in past
It’s an inspiration for many aspiring kids
I saw different groups of kids
Practicing cycle polo
Trying out their tricks to show off
At the middle, a group was competitive
They chased down the ball
Riding the cycle faster
Made some intriguing passes
Scored some goals
Saw some girls just passing the ball around
But it’s the young kids whom I watched
I saw the eagerness to learn
Trying to be balanced on the cycle
To move faster to pass and chase the ball
Two of them just missed a collision by a whisker
They acknowledged and kept on playing
I wondered when most of new generation kids
Aspire to play cricket, football, or some other sports
Which will yield them money or fame
The passion for cycle polo is still there
At least in this place
It’s not an easy game though
None of them fell once
They were always steady and
 Avoided each other’s path
Even when they were trying to block or tackle
Keeping a safe distance and speed
It still amazes me, how they manage to control
The cycles just like that right from childhood
One thing is sure
The future is bright
 Cycle polo will survive
Even though there are no glitz and glamour
Nor any big sponsorships to ponder
It’s just the passion that keeps these players going

23 Nov 2009

Hand of god

They are messiahs
who thrive on prayers of millions
who follow them with raw fanatism
They are magicians
Expected to produce wonders
With the ball on football pitch
Every time they take the field
They can devastate any team
With their driblling and trickery
They can kill off the games
With stunning goals
Yet,at the theatre of football
They cheated infront of thousands
With the "Hand of god"
Nailing the hopes of opponents
And writing themselves into record books
As the saviors of entire nation
Breaking the hearts of those
Who outplayed the saviors teams
Yet booted out with goals of disgrace
With no remorse feeling
The saviors basked themselves in glory
Shame on rules,
Shame on fairplay
Shame on trust
Cheaters win glories
With "Hand of god"
While the authorities sleep
Favoring the disgraced saviors