Junior Soccer
Andrew Frisardi
You'd think the ball was a germ（胚芽，细菌）, the kids
exuberant（繁茂的） antibodies swarming
to douse1 it with will, then finally
punish it toward the orange witch|hats goal.
My friend's daughter doesn't want us to know
she's eager for us to watch her jostle（争夺，推挤）
her little body into the skirmish（小冲突）.
Her hair's an antenna2 for attention,
but she never turns, having learned to hide
childish reliance on mom's esteem3.
She still can't grasp the rationale of rules
or which of the brawling4 feet are on her team.
One boy, the coach's son, head|butts
the ball above a small astonished melee
of teammates contending with each other,
the younger kids intent on getting only
some piece of themselves to touch it,
like tongues waiting to catch the first raindrop,
the older ones more focused, their faces
braced: balanced surfaces of water.
The small girl who invited me here floats
to the sidelines, absentmindedly alone,
staring into the trees behind the school,
before she remembers again we're watching.
