THE WORLD CUP
I did have an idea to celebrate 40 years since 1966. I wanted to get 11 poets to write 11 poems about the team of ’66. However, I couldn’t get a publisher or sponsor interested, so in the end I wrote a series of poems myself. They are everyman recollections that try and capture something of the men, the magnitude, the mood and the memories. You can click on the names on the image to see the poems.
YOU UNDERTOOK OUR DREAMS
( For Ray Wilson )
Your undertaking was your part in victory
Utmost responsibility
Utmost respect
Your job done efficiently
Your job done well
No glitz and no glamour
But perfect in your preparation
You did what you had to do
Until the task was complete
Your legacy –
Remembrance and celebration
Of that glorious occasion
That now seems such a lifetime ago
The retrospective reflection
That brings back joy and jubilation
And the warm glow of pride
For everything done that day
The shared experience
Still living, still breathing
Still alive, still real
That brought a people together
And as we savour the unity
This sporting sacrament
We remember the glory of the past
And the hope that is to come
We remember you
The undertaker of our greatest dream
PAUL COOKSON