Tag: football

At Estadio Azteca, 2026 by Joseph Verhelle

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At Estadio Azteca, 2026

A Mexican kisses an Englishman
and blur so utterly under stadium light
that I can only pick them out
by the football kits
they so desperately wish
were a puddle on the ground.
Jogo Bonito is what Brazilians call
this fluid philosophy of lips and tongue.
Even the stewards, typically dead-set
on splitting supporters
across imaginary borders, are still
watching green and white blend
long after the match is done.

*

Joseph Verhelle is a poet and educator from Rochester Hills, Michigan. His work appears or is forthcoming in Heavy Feather Review, Pine Hills Review, HAD, and The Twin Bill. He was selected for season 22 of the AWP Writer to Writer Mentorship Program in 2025.

Tailgating by John Aylesworth

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Tailgating

The SUV 6 feet behind me
wants to pass on this 2 lane
and I’m 5 miles over the speed limit,
looking for the turn to Rainbow Lake Road
while he’s on his way to Florida.

I guess he trusts his robot brakes
if a couple of deer cross the road,
and he doesn’t know there’ll be 4 lanes soon
so I wonder whether his insurance
will cover my broken back and suffering.

We should stop and talk instead of hurrying:
find if we worship the same football team,
complain about our wives, ask where we’re from,
where we’re going.

It would be like meditation,
praying for understanding.
We could trade cars and places
but I wouldn’t be able to keep up.

*

Several years ago, John Aylesworth graduated from Ohio University with an M.A. in English (Creative Writing) and a Ph.D. in Comparative Arts. He decided to stay in Athens (Ohio) and teach in public schools, raise a family, and write. More of his poems can be found at John Aylesworth poetry.