We stuffed our crotches into hometown pants.
Clacked on concrete out to mud and grass.
Hit each other.  Bled.  Got dizzy.
Sweat, got knocked down, got up,
got down, puked, hit each other, bled.
We were having fun.
I swear reasons existed then
for playing.  Honest I swear
there was a girl on the goal line
promising a slow dance.  A referee
waited to whistle me into manhood.
We were not good.
Often we had to buy the ball back
from the other team.  Once were down
forty points before the game began.
Our coach sold real estate at half-time.
Our cheerleaders hung us in effigy.
We pounded each other
until no one was left on either team.
The pads and helmets and shoes
went on grunting and blocking and tackling.
Fans stayed to see which set
of equipment would win.
We could hear that Homecoming crowd
roaring in the stadium
as we loaded the cars.  We drove
to the bus station, took
the midnight express out of there.