Michael Owen doesn’t breathe
between sentences at fulltime
as much as he probably should.
He sounds like he’s going to pass out
from full stop to full stop
over the excitement of men
he doesn’t know scoring goals
that make his eyes the size
of a 1990’s Mitre. The day
he got a hattrick against Germany,
Mum was making a lasagne or bolognese
or sausage stew in the other room.
Emile Heskey made it 5-1
and my uncle swore for the first time,
loud enough to stop me breathing
until fulltime.

© Carl Burkitt 2023