Big Cigar

He was a quiet lonely type of kid

They called him Big Cigar

And his size it didn’t work for him

The kids made him feel unpopular

But he dreamed of being on the footy team

He watched the others day by day

They never thought to extend a hand

They never asked Cigar to play

It was tryout day for the local club

They gathered after lunch

The footy heads and the footy coach

A sweaty mangy bunch

Cigar stood at the back of the group

Intimidated by the unfriendly stares

But the coach tossed him a shirt to wear

And said welcome to the Bears

He puffed through training. He was unfit and fat

He struggled and he tried

the other kids, they laughed at him

and extinguished all his pride

But to his credit He stuck at it

He found out what he could do

To kick the ball Between the sticks

With his size 11 shoe

So every chance, each day after school

Cigar was at the park

He would kick the ball over the swings and slide

He would rarely miss the mark

For hours, he would drop and punt

Between the light pole and the lofty tree

But he was a lonely kid with his old football

There was no one there to share and see

Came game day and he got his chance

He counted how many players were there

He knew with only twelve other kids

That today he would be a Bear

So proudly Cigar took his spot

On the park of white and green

The whistle blew and the ball was off

And the air was crisp and clean

As the game grew close to the final call

The scores were locked as one

It appeared that no side could go home today

And tell their mums they’d won

But the Bears weren’t dead They had the ball

Big Cigar he called out Mine

He and grabbed the ball and ran for dead

But was stopped inches before the line

In that short moment he gathered stock

Remembered the swings, the park, the slide

The light pole and that lofty tree

He was driven by his pride

His size 11 popped it over the line

He lunged with all his might

Like his hero Price he pounced on the ball

And Ref pointed and said alright

It was the talk of the team for many a week

They looked at Cigar a different way

No longer was he the final kid

To be invited on the field to play

And to this day in his memory

He relives his time that he was the daily star

For there is many a kid who just needs a chance

Like the one they called Big Cigar