THE FOOTBALL REFEREE'S GARDEN

We met during the France v Portugal game
At the 2010 World Cup
I was the ref and he was the linesman

We played together in a later game
When our roles were reversed

I think we are together
Because we are opposites

He thinks I let people
Get away with too much

I think (secretly of course)
He interferes too much

He thinks his love of control
Is a sign of his maturity

I think my laid-back approach
Is a sign of my maturity

But it works
So who cares

Yes, we have a garden
Where we have a practical arrangement

I encourage the good things
He discourages the bad things

So when we sit on the patio
With glass of chilled wine

I take pleasure
From the long grass

While he rests content
That the slugs
Have been red-carded

When friends come over
They congratulate us

Our garden, they say
Has harmony and grace

From time to time
Something unexpected happens

A much loved plant
Suffers some damage

Needing a visit to the greenhouse
For a bit of tender loving care

And the garden
Has to carry on without it

All of time for man
Is a step into the unknown
Awaiting the final whistle

But the beauty of our garden
Is that it will always have extra time
With no penalty