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 douse 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 antenna for attention,

but she never turns, having learned to hide

childish reliance on mom's esteem.

She still can't grasp the rationale of rules

or which of the brawling 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.