Watching Lionel play football
Was to see a master magician
Sharing his amazement
At escaping from all the locks
And seeing himself emerge
From impossible mazes,
Switching the ball at his feet
For the ball in the goal
Without mirrors or strings,
Creating the illusion
Of levitating a stadium,
Leaving defenders dazed
As though by Hermes,
Goalkeepers naked as Adam,
The net rippling with startled doves.