Footie Romance

I once devised a little game: The challenge is to leave my appartment, walk at a normal speed, take any route I please, and not pass by a football pitch of one sort or another for 20 minutes. One day I'll pull it off.

When I walk on the street, I pass by kids in Ronaldo and Podolski shirts. At the bar, a bloke starts talking to me. He just assumes I have an opinion on Hamburg's latest results. Back on the street, some children play football on the pavement; I have to stop the ball so it doesn't roll onto the street, and I play it back.

Sometimes there's a soft wind blowing into my face. It carries many memories, most sweet, some bitter. It smells of freshly-cut green grass.