I hereby add poem "Passion Song" to advertise my book 'SITWOL-Soccer Is Way Of Life' A Soccer Poetry Book (32000 words, about Soccer, Life, Game, written in English thru the style of poems, prose poems, prose, and verse drama... to cheer readers and soccer fans)
Intro:
Life is a game that sometimes we not so sure what we chase and expect,
whether scores, goals, fame, or just the moment...
And the ball in its perfect shape, empty inside, draws our passion,
love, hatred, hormone, and everything related...
just as our experience on earth, spinning all her seasons
attracts our transient being as our run on green pitch,
When our game starts or ends,
zero is always the score,
whether Pele's thousand goals' record,
or the epical triumph of Maradona,
Heros and Heroines are always rising,
Sample:
Soccer Related prose & poem
Verse Drama: Footballer and His Apple
Genre: Fiction
Drama Purpose: Entertainment and Education
Total Words: 11000
Play Character: 10 Characters
Verse Drama Body: 54 Poems (as following samples)
Poem Style: Free Verse as samples
Language: English (ESL)
Content: A romantic love story, tearing tragedy, and very competitive sports life.
Readers/Audience: Age 17 above.
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Style:
This play is in the style of a tragic drama with a few characters and less equipment and less acting on small or broad stage, mixed in three styles of Classic Greek,
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Prologue:
Apple In My Eye (Footballer-Audience)
Poem#32
My fair love, sweet Apple.
She is not queen of fruits,
But God made her my only one.
Her long silky hair of my mother’s,
Does comfort my face and hands.
Her eyebrows of slim moon shape,
Does flirt my heart and mind.
Her telling eyes hold deep oceans,
Where my soul swims in living dream.
Her nose, the cliff of all beauty,
Raises her class and my pride.
Her chili lips dress no need of lipstick,
That all man’s fantasy is my daylight kiss.
Her mystery of half moon in her mouth,
Is where our lonely souls connect.
Her voice vibrates my soul
In her moaning, yawning and whispering.
Her neck of swan beauty,
Paints rosy scene in my eye.
Many lust for the melons,
But her peaches are my only delight.
Are dipped in sweet burgundy wine.
She is my mysterious rain forest,
That I am so blessed
To be the one to explore.
She is my ruby goblet,
Holds all great savors
That I taste fulfillment in all seasons.
She is my home and harbor,
Where I shall berth and rest,
Shelters my lonely soul and weak strength.
Her name is my only poem,
My very last word on earth,
And my wake up call to rise.
Poem# 46
...
and headbutted the nations;
peoples called me “I Am”,
but I know who am I.
I am the one,
who outshined the stars
with my artistry and wisdom,
crushed all teams
with my genius and courage,
shattered their dreams
and welcomed their reality,
brought joys to my people,
and led them into Wonderland.
Silver and gold papers snowed in the center,
where red carpet led to our ceremony stage.
The green pasture,
minutes ago a ground of final battle,
where I directed the stage disaster of my enemy,
now a Hall of Fame.
Oh, home, my sweet home!
The champion song drew a sleepless night.
The Cup was in my hands,
spilled the bittersweet wine,
poured champagne to my champions,
and sewed a star on my color.
SITWOL PART III.
Poetry pleases my ear
that words sound in harmony,
but not to a foreign tongue.
Poetry draws a picture
to invite my eyes,
but still puzzles my mind.
Poetry blows in wind,
in water He flows,
shouts in thunders,
and bounces as rock in roll.
Poetry preserves His truth,
in secret codes, simple words,
only reveals to the worthy.
Poetry sings in my ears,
dances in front my eyes,
kisses my lips,
brings fragrance,
that fills my mind
and imprints my soul.
Poetry does not like as I like
as whenever I use as like wrongly,
and it is unfair He uses
correctly all times He does,
but I make Him to like
as I do like anyway.
Poetry tells stories
to company my journey,
writes jokes
to convert my tragedy
into a comedy,
and builds a rainbow bridge
where my dream
and reality meet.
Webster.it
USA:
Thought On The Book:
I. Why I write this book
When I was a kid, I always dreamed that I could grow up to be a soccer player, a professional. As most other kids had the same dream, but 80's culture in China, soccer was just a sport for kids, that actually parents allowed their kids to play in street every afternoon, and summer nights, but it was never a serious consideration to have any their kids to give a try for soccer, or any other sports as a career, due to the economic development was critically needed as one nation and every household's priority, so sports could not support individual's financial need, as Confucius' teaching deeply rooted in my parents' generation, sports were activity for health and pleasure for children to grow physically, So academic education was strictly implanted through discipline as a way of life through school subjects and homework, and books; social education for children was ignored by every parents.
I still remembered that every boy running out his door for fun, and his mom would remind him saying: "Don't go out there fighting!"
So soccer in 90's China was kids playing and adults watching. That might be one of reasons that why China with the biggest population currently, could not have a good remarkable performance in soccer world.
When I finished Junior High School in China, and continued High School Education in New York, I met a new world, and as a soccer loyalty, me and my close friends found a soccer heaven in Corona Park, Queens NY, met a lot of people from every different country, soccer experience became a truly living language to me, and for the first time I got to involved the true uniqueness and power of this common language as same as learning English, a commonly used and poetic language as I heard and saw, I adored deeply.
And I somehow felt that soccer or sport maybe carry a deeper purpose in life. It is a common language we communicate, not only physically, but truly though a social level, or even I am too crazy to believe it is also a spiritual journey.
Why?
I noticed that in life, everyone has a dream, (a purpose to be, to live, or according to Socrates "Happiness"), where we find our happiness is, there our heart goes, and the process of striving to obtain it is our purpose of being, living.
In soccer or sport, to any individual, our "goal of life" is made easy to be defined... score to win. As early age, a kid's mind would not be clouded by the limitless aspects of the magnificent world.
So we started to practice, dream, pursue, work hard for our individual goal since we were kids, 10 years after we become doctors or masters of ball dribbling and controlling art, which is only a beginning of soccer individual skill. Then, we think ourselves highly, and walk out our backyard, play on street thru pickup games and even to the leagues, we started to learn to work with others: our teammates and opponents, thru passing, demanding, negotiating, competing, cheating, injuring and forgiving, another 10 years, we observe our neighboring societies thru our ups and downs. At last, we experience our downtime, which everyone will endure in later life, but to a soccer player or sports fan, such adventure comes upon them early due to physical requirement, and "life is short" is the second alarm after injury, we can achieve no more or most of us never summit on the peak of our youthful dreams. And such yearning is a spiritual quest. And it is very likely that most of us have some dreams that we cannot fulfill, or even tragically missed in past.
As kid I thought soccer was a physical activity, a hobby, after I grew a little, my coach told me it was a team sport, and then crossed some cultures, I defined it a social or global lifestyle. "But I thank God that I really do love it so much." I watched most of the games, read all the magazines, practiced with weight vest and ankle weights... walked a soccer player's way, I somehow felt there was something more to it. And when I saw Mr. Roberto Baggio missed his critical freekick and fell on the pitch, 90's Gaza shed his tears, Mr. Zidane walked and passing by the 2006 world cup trophy... I realized, soccer was not just a social event of one nation kicking down another, winner stays and loser goes home, or one ball one field, two teams and two goals, the rest is art of creation, but a journey we all walk in life in joy and tears, a common faith.
I am a book lover, a soccer player, a classic worshiper. One year ago, 2006, I eventually grew up to give up this unreal dream, so decided to write or gather some of random thoughts about soccer and life, coz I knew I was at second half of my life, it was good time to give up my boyish solo runs and aimless shots, to truly review my scoreless, goalless first half, and put down some of my idiotic concept about soccer in years I have "learned", maybe.
So I decided to write this book, mainly to cheer for those who love soccer as crazy as I do, and maybe my book could help, if not, then cheer, or at least bring some laughters for all who love their dreams and chasing.
However I do have to apologize to readers that I edited the book myself, and I am not an English teacher, and did not go to any college, the only class I had was 2 years high school ESL, but I am always a hard worker, I learned English myself, and being a natural forward or striker, I could not wait for my editor to take a few months to edit my book, so I did it myself. There are some grammar mistakes, but the rest of goods would cover all that.
II. Why I put soccer and life in the book
Yeah- life has up and down, as our journey to home, which our game also does; Our world on earth is simply painted out with a bunch of drunk desperately struggling and kicking the ball, and Someone has a whistle according to His will He blows for every individual, start to finish, get on and get off. And some of us play ball possession, and others counterstrike, mix our faith and reason, wisdom and deception, freedom and violence... all in one game, as our existence around this created ball from east to west, north to south.
Soccer is simple, just a plastic ball; Soccer is difficult to be defined, coz its boundless reach, cross over every border and religion, spins with life and culture. A kid's toy, politician's tool, business opportunity, a date plan of a couple, a monk's percussion, a writer's bowl, poet's amusement... that sets a stage for every real drama to happen or act out, and generates endless topics for both formal newspaper and tabloid... men are crazy for every game and action, even in HD slow motion, and women are interested for every story in full detail, soccer is not only a sport, but something we live with, or will live with.
So that is how I decided to use a mirroring writing to reflect soccer and life from some great classic books to debate some living concept through a funny and naive tone. (example: Soccer Ten Commandment). Yeah, coz I think more people could put off some their seriousness a little, then more people on earth would live a easier life. So soccer and life is a suitable topic for us, that brings us fun and we won't lose Way, and gives us a serious review and we won't harm anyone. Just like a soccer ball, no matter how unskilled we are, just give a kick; or how bad is my line, anyway I have to throw it at someone I want to speak to, right? :-)
III. The style of writing
Soccer is game of creativity, not like baseball that coach is one who truly plays, or a quarterback of football team who calls the game plan, but soccer system never bends over to plan, just as our life, or spirit of poetry that runs its own rhythm, or Bruce Lee's martial art in a fluid and unpredicted form. So I chose a writing style of prose, free verses and poems into a mix and group them in topics and chapters, which reads just like a soccer match with rise and turns, more like whatever on this page. (Jeez, someone really sounds like a genius. I confess I did not have a formal education, not much of talent, but I think I do have thick skin:-)
Verse Drama
There is a Verse Drama loaded in the book:
"The Footballer and His Apple".
A very sweet and tragic love story.
The main character was a young boy
lived in solitude after his mom passed away.
and met Apple, luckily fell in love with her,
and he loved reading and playing soccer,
so Apple encouraged him to start chasing his dream again,
by making his interest into a career.
In the process of chasing his dream,
he lost his stature, fell into a revengeful attitude of life,
he could not listen to Apple's warning,
doomed to walk to the next fight,
and he got what he wanted...
at his peak moment, he and Apple were shot, died.
Later, he found himself walking in the world,
that same world he used to see everyday,
but full of suffering of death, sickness...
everyone he saw were not in peace,
and he could not help anyone,
yet he could not help himself, also living in it.
Finally, he realized the world he lived in is nightmare,
and he actually walked in a silence world.
out of solution, he did pray.
He heard thunder.
He remembered his loved ones, mom,
and Apple.
And final scene,
some audience or reader by faith may find the result
the young boy together with his Apple.
The sport is to reveal the way of competition in the world,
as people live and struggle on earth,
sometimes draws people to forget what is most important for life.
Drama is related to tragedy,
which bring out people's compassion,
echo of goodness of heart,
also does cleanse our inner guilt,
redirect our vision of life,
review our living will/purpose,
at last still draws us toward hope.
More update later