I miss being slide tackled.
I miss slide tackling someone.
I miss coming together with a stranger
in the heat of a goal mouth
to make a bowl of shin pad spaghetti.
I miss mud on my bum.
I miss dry ground ripping skin
off my desperate knees.
I miss being slide tackled
by someone who wants to break my legs
because they’re having a bad day
and the thin stitching of my socks
that reminds them of their father’s skin. 

© Carl Burkitt 2023