Roker beach at midnight

Roker beach at midnight

The moon,

In a tangle

Chasing clouds

We were so young

Hot blood

Steaming

Playing one-touch football

In the dark

Full of froth and testosterone

Unsullied

Uninhibited

Running into the sea

Fully clothed

I didn’t feel the cold

I was already numb

It ruined my shoes

Billy Seed lost his.

We walked home,

Eight miles

From front to back

He still bears the scars.

We’d beaten the Mags

All was right with the world

I was nearly fully grown

Though I still had

Far to go

All things were possible.

We have beaten

Newcastle

Twice this season

At the final whistle

Of each game

I punched the air

It seemed the least

I could do

When I was

Watching at home

On my own.

Today

We’ve just beaten

Everton,

Europe is on the cards

I will walk across the beach

Later

Barefoot

To feel the sand between my toes

I might even get my feet wet

It will be the closest

I can get

These days

To uninhibited