The Last Kick: A Poem to Read Aloud

The Last Kick

1The clock had run out, and the score was tied.
It came down to one kick for the other side.
If the ball went in, then the game was done,
But if Zuri could stop it, her team had won.

2In the net stood Zuri in gloves and green,
The calmest goalie you've ever seen.
Well, calm on the outside. Inside, her heart
Was racing like runners right at the start.

3Then out stepped the kicker, the other team's best,
A tall boy named Tomás with a nine on his chest.
He set down the ball with the greatest of care,
Then backed away slowly... and stood frozen there.

4A hush fell over the crowd all around.
No cough, no cheer, not a whisper of sound.
Zuri bent low with her eyes on the ball.
Wait for it. Wait for it. Don't move at all.

5Then thump! Off it zipped, as quick as can be,
Low and hard to the left, where the net was free.
Zuri pushed off, and she flew through the air,
Arms reaching out with no moment to spare.

6Smack! went the ball on the tip of her glove.
It spun like a top in the blue sky above,
Then hit the crossbar, and bounced, and fell
Right onto the line. Was it in? Who could tell?

7The referee jogged to the line for a look,
While Zuri lay still, and her whole body shook.
Then the referee waved both her arms. "No goal!"
And the cheers from the bleachers began to roll.

8Her teammates came sprinting in from every side.
They lifted her up for a bumpy ride.
"You did it! You did it!" they shouted and sang,
While up in the bleachers a cowbell rang.

9But Zuri slid down and walked over instead
To Tomás, who stood with a hand on his head.
"That was a great kick," she said with a grin.
He smiled. "Next time, I'll be sure it goes in."

10The sun slipped away behind the tall trees,
And the field lights blinked on in the cool evening breeze.
Two players walked off, side by side, as new friends,
And that is the way that this story ends.