I AM A BIG ZERO

It is about football.... Do you know...a foot ball can think...

                              I AM A BIG ZERO

               Who cares to listen to the real story of a football? The whole world vies for a cup- golden cup- in its name. What nonsense!!!. What do these people know about a foot ball? What this people know about things going on in its mind?  You readers, listen to the pathetic story of a football

                             A football is a scapegoat. It is being punished from the beginning to the end of the match. Being kicked off by feet, rolling on the ground for reasons not known to it, it is reeking of pain and suffers whole life. The birth as a football is the most cursed on the surface of earth.

                          Nothing makes it unhappy when it sees the rivalry between two teams. It feels that it is the cause of faction between two teams. It plunges into depression when it comes to know that fission is not confined to play ground alone but spread among the spectators too as they took sides with teams. While squirming with pain by each kick, it said to itself, “I deserve this pain for creating rivalry among people”.

             Among the pandemonium and din it notices one face calm and sober not at all affected by the excitement spread all over the world. It is the face of referee. Though he runs with the football till the end of the game as a faithful sympathizer, friend, he never touches the football. He runs with the football like a detached entity from both teams, and from the football, playground, audience etc with a face devoid of passion. From his detached countenance it seems that he is very much convinced about the triviality of these ephemeral ovations.

                          Football feels ashamed of its bloated hollowness when it hears about cores spend in the name of it. Empty stomach with which it is born will remain like that till it dies. It is its nature. But the calls of hunger from millions of empty human stomachs reverberate inside it after hitting it’s the single, round inner wall. And condense there like an incurable painful ulcer inside its empty stomach. “I should be kicked, I should be kicked off to the far end of this world” Football whimpers in great self dejection and repentance.

                          But while going through this painful ordeal, the only thing that astonishes it is the cohesiveness of members of a team. Often it is taken aback by their team spirit. They behave like a progeny of one mother. Like flowers blossomed in a bunch they support and exhort each other for kicking it off to the opposite post. Football is extremely fascinated by their single mindedness that it forgets its pain for a while and feels proud for being a cause for an ideal friendliness, unity which is very difficult to see in any collective endeavors nowadays.

            Who will be the architect behind it? Football thought. Oh! It is the coach of the team. What a wonderful man he should be to coach the minds of team members to focus their energy towards a common purpose. Foot ball overwhelms by reverence for the coach.

                                   But it cant see such coaches, team members in the real life. The sportsman spirit and enthusiasm of audience are confined to stadium. Once on the play ground of life, these players, onlookers and coaches forget the basic qualities what they adored and hailed as sublime while in play. It is a pity. It is at this point football gets painfully reminded of the unworthiness of a shape with which it is born. A big zero.

                                      “I am a big zero” it cries aloud. “Nobody should assume my shape, nobody should get my shape. I am a big zero. Good for nothing”

 

“Stop” It looked around to identify the source of this thunderous command.

“Stop this nonsense, what about my shape? Look I too is round. Stop it before somebody overhear it. Learn to live.”

 

“Who are you?” football asked

“It is me the EARTH”

 

Football felt that emptiness is not only inside it. It is there outside of it as well. It rolled away feeling emptier than ever.

                                

 

Reviews

[RDOriginal]

What an interesting viewpoint to pick! Certainly not what I was expecting when you asked me to review something called 'I Am A Big Zero' - I anticipated another one of those angst tales of woe (and yes I am as guilty as anyone else for writing those!)

As you took the big step of choosing such a refreshing point of view I wonder whether this could be made stronger if you wrote in the first person. It might bring a little more warmth/character to the piece. Although I'm far from knocking such a refreshing approach and the narrator is able to add some of the 'back story' to Football's life. Something to ponder or play with I guess.

There's some real philosophy going on here too. The emptiness of the soul reflecting the emptiness of the world. All very introspective and very sad. Then again, if the purpose of your very existence in the world is to be kicked I can see why the hero of your story might have a bit of a negative outloook!

Reading something completely off the wall like this is really refreshing, keep experimenting!

[Rick Puetter]

Dear JENY,

Everyone likes the point of view of the football, and so do I. This is a very interesting write. But now to the message of the poem. This seems complex. There doesn't seem to be a fixed given message other than the football is hollow and confused. But perhaps that is a parable for life in general. Just like the football we can only observe the world. Many things are completely beyond our control and many things are baffling. And perhaps there is a certain self-hate that develops because of our helplessness and confusion. We feel unworthy.

A very though provoking write.

Best regards,

Rick

[Holly O'Brien]

aahhh...I loved it!! This was very unexpected, although it seemed awkward at the beginning, it didn't take long to become clear. This was an interesting observation...all true and comparable to an outcast. How can something that brings so much meaning feel so worthless inside?! That is what makes me ponder...good job!!

[The Analog Kid]

I like the POV of the ball. I agree, maybe first person would improve the piece. Cool how the football is lamenting that he is thecause of rivalry, etc. Very interesting write!

[Dev]

I liked reading this write but there are some things you might want to look into
(now don't kill me, I'm just trying to help) :D I dunno what happens to me when I read your stuff. Makes me want to write a looong review. Anyway,

*a cup- golden cup- in its name. - ok after the hyphen it should be "a golden cup" for more emphasis

*What nonsense!!!. - I totally get the need for the two extra exclaimation points but then the full stop needs to go.

*What this people know about things going on in its mind? - What do these people

*You readers, listen to the pathetic story of a football - I don't think think the comma is necessary replace it with a ;

*It is being punished from the beginning to the end of the match. Being kicked off by feet, rolling on the ground for reasons not known to it, it is reeking of pain and suffers whole life. The birth as a football is the most cursed on the surface of earth. - you'll have to re read this part. The tense shifts too many times. also in the last line- (one will have to be added) The birth as a football is the most cursed one on the surface of earth.

*Nothing makes it unhappy when it sees the rivalry between two teams -as unhappy as

*faction - friction

*to play ground alone but spread among the spectators too as they took sides with teams. - to the play ground alone but spreads among the spectators too, as they take sides with their favorite teams. (tense + a bit revision)

*While squirming with pain by each kick, it said to itself, “I deserve this pain for creating rivalry among people”. - from instead by & says instead of said.

*It is the face of referee - the referee

*sympathizer, friend, - a friend

*about cores spend in the name of it. - spent

*Empty stomach with which it is born will remain like that till it dies. - revise sentence.

* after hitting it’s the single, round inner wall. - this doesn't make sense.

* What a wonderful man he should be to coach the minds of team members to focus their energy towards a common purpose. Foot ball overwhelms by reverence for the coach. - what a wonderful man he is. & The football is overwhelmed

*GENERALLY - you'd have to write "The foot ball" instead of a football or simply football.

*what they adored and hailed as sublime while in play. - adore & hail

*“Stop” It looked - looks (you'll have to decide which tense you want to write in)

*Look I too is round. Stop it before somebody overhear it. Learn to live. - Look I too am round. stop it before someone overhears you.

*Football felt that emptiness is not only inside it. It is there outside of it as well. - The football felt the emptiness not only inside, but outside of it as well.

[A.Lee]

How creative! I would have never though to use the perspective of the ball. I was actually starting to feel sorry for the poor depressed ball until the Earth spoke up at the end. Very creative.

[Griffin Hill]

Smaller, un-bold font, please. This hurts my eyes.

[Wicahpi]

I just have to giggle for awhile then I'll return! lol

[Huggy Bear]

I love the poem. It is raw with emotion:)

[the_stoic]

i don't know how to comprehend this write of yours . its hilarious and yet towards the end the comparison with earth just makes one relate the dilemma of the football with the earth .