Iron Mountain ski jump

Iron Mountain ski jump

Friday, January 3, 2020

THE LONELINESS OF THE LONG-DISTANCE KICKER [1-3-20]


[The morning after the Gator Bowl]

Sitting here in morning
darkness, sipping coffee
thinking of the kicker
out there all alone, seeing
how the ball can leave
the foot so firmly
so true in its direction
but then veer
only slightly to the right
or left, and miss the score
I knew that I could kick
the ball quite well
Natural talent
Good coaching
Many reps for experience
A thunk of satisfaction
each time I made connection
Concentration
Follow-through
But when I looked up
sometimes the goal
posts had disappeared
in mist and dark
There was only the noise
of the crowd
to know if the ball
went through
the uprights

John Robert McFarland


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