O caro Loris Karius,
while others are censorious,
in the hour of your extreme distress
my heart goes out in tenderness.
Your blunders cost your side the Cup –
but which of us has not fucked up
in private and behind closed doors?
A billion eyes were watching yours
as you rolled the ball against their 9
off whom it crept across your line.
Your confidence was now shot through
and Bale’s long shot would slip through too
and gift Real the winning goal
that scarifies your tortured soul.
© Richard Devereux
Loris Karius left in tears as two calamitous goalkeeping errors cost Liverpool dear
Richard Devereux is a member of Lansdown Poets and Bristol Stanza. His collection Bill tells the story of his grandfather, a soldier of World War One who fought on the Balkan front in northern Greece. Richard taught English in Athens and his knowledge of Greece inspires and informs much of his writing. His poems have appeared in several anthologies and on-line magazines.
