She was distractedand he ran on the pitch
in an instinctive,
uninhibited,
exhilarating chase
along the right wing.
He out-stripped
the startled player,
gave the ball
a tremendous kick
and followed up
with a round of applause
as he watched it
cannon off the post
and career
into the stands.
She explained
that he always clapped
when he was proud
of something
he'd achieved,
so they all laughed
and agreed
was an excellent kick,
most of them applauded
and someone shouted,
“Well done, young man!”
He suffered
her gentle
admonishment
when he returned
dutifully to her side
and the match
attained normality
as he retreated
back to his world,
with his autistic smile
perceptibly wider.
