Goal Before Dark

Goal before dark—take the shot
Five-thirty-eight, sun on the wall
Two bricks for a goal
One match before they fence it all
Take the shot

Flour marks the touchline through the dust
Monday's parking sign leans by the gate
Boys choose sides beneath the broken lamp
Everybody knows this is the final game
Mariam holds the water and the spare ball
Smallest shoes beside the largest crowd
Every time a shot rolls past the bricks
She brings it back before they call her name
Her brother says, Put her on my side
Captain says, We need a winger, not a ball girl
Then Musa twists his ankle on the stones
And every face turns toward Mariam

Tie the loose lace
Put the water down
No more running after everybody's ball
Sun on the wall, one half to start
Mariam, make them learn your name

Goal before dark, take the shot, take the shot
Dust rising gold where the streetlights stop
By Monday they can fence it, but tonight it's ours
One last goal, one goal before dark

Pass it left
Left
Cut it right
Right
Small feet, big heart
Goal before dark

First touch heavy, crowd goes quiet
Second touch clean through a defender's legs
She loses one shoe but keeps on running
Sock on the gravel, eyes on the net
Score tied level, shadows getting longer
Last ball drops from a rooftop wall
Her brother heads it into open space
Mariam meets it before it can fall
No perfect strike, no famous finish
Toe off-center, spinning through the dust
It kisses one brick, crosses the flour line
And every balcony forgets to breathe

One shoe missing
Hands in air
Whole street running everywhere
Sun almost gone, one name in our hearts
Mariam put the light inside the dark

Goal before dark, she took the shot, took the shot
Dust rising gold where the streetlights stop
By Monday they can fence it, but tonight it's ours
One last goal, one goal before dark

Tap the ball
One
Drag it back
Two
Cut left quick
Three
Shoulder fake
Four
Sock foot run
Five
Brick post kiss
Six
Hands go high
Seven
Take the shot
Eight

One goal could not stop the fence
Monday still brought metal and paint
But Tuesday after school, nine girls came
Each carrying a ball or asking to play
Mariam drew two goals behind the library
Used schoolbags where the bricks should stand
The old field did not survive the week
But who was allowed to dream had changed

Goal before dark, she took the shot, took the shot
Dust rose gold where the old field stopped
They fenced the ground, but nine girls marked a start
Mariam's goal kept running after dark
Two schoolbags wide, one whistle sharp
Take the shot, take the shot

Five-thirty-eight, one week later
Nine schoolbags in two straight lines
Mariam places the ball at center
Looks at the girls and blows the whistle
Goal before dark