Playing Away From Home

World Cup soccer playing on your TV,
Bulgaria and Italy I believe,
you ask me the score
and I tell you, while we play
our own personal game of participation,
with you as the referee of rule breaking.
An own goal in extra time
enhanced by adverts for family holidays
echo ironically in this toy strewn room.
The score at full-time is ambiguous,
you saved a few penalties at my expense,
and in the communal shower afterwards,
I didn’t know why it couldn’t be
a win-win situation,
when you explained,
those are the rules of the game,
especially when playing away from home.

© irene hossack 2005