I must not be American.
I do not like American football very much
with its constant mayhem and pauses.
I would rather watch soccer
with its strategy and continuous play.
Americans like everything big,
big scores, like in basketball.
They eschew soccer for
its usual one goal margin or draw.
This year I am rooting for the country
of my birth – Switzerland.
I sit glued to the screen,
no matter which country is playing.
Passes follow geometric angles.
Kicks bend and swoop,
as if they have lives of their own.
Opposing players pick each other up
after inadvertent collisions.
Such elegance to the game,
a ballet on wide green fields.
I must not be American.
THE POETRY OF THE GAME