Sometimes I wonder about those Ranji trophy playersWho played a season or twoNever to be seen againWho brought life to a small townRemembered now only for that maiden overA six over midwicketAnd then promptly dispatched to the margins of their livesThe applause long forgotten.There was a batter who liked hitting sixes in the neighbourhood parkWho dreamt of big stadiumsA fielder who aced the silly point examsA captain who knew how to win the toss, and little else.The bowler who hurled the perfect yorker but only once.Those names come reeling to me, like fish from a riverThat flooded our banks every summer.Perhaps married now, with a grey stubble and balding, Taking up a coaching assignment in high school And the girls love him, in tracksuit and shoesRunning that extra mile for a prodigy who must one day be foundWho will one day play the world cup.Then turning to his memories, over an evening drinkAsking (himself) if he was good for a few seasons moreBut for the phone call from a selector saying it’s timeThe niggle turning into habit, the strain telling on myopic eyesThe shoulder giving way, the calves saying enough.Yet something more is still left to be said…Which is why he didn’t go for the job in railwaysOr that opening in the bank he didn’t have the heart for.Which is why memories of those days return like a weekly forecastWithout any appetite for financialsAnd something moves among the leaves, perhaps a bird flutteringOr maybe just the future slipping by, only to returnIn the hand-me-down shoes of a girl who understands it allWho knows what the coach wants, blowing his whistle Who must get out of home somehow, and dream big among arch lightsWho goes round and round the field like seasons.Amlanjyoti Goswami has written three books of poetry, A Different Story,River Wedding and Vital Signs, published by Poetrywala. River Wedding was shortlisted for the Sahitya Akademi award. Published in journals and anthologies across the world, including Poetry, The Poetry Review, Penguin Vintage, Rattle and Sahitya Akademi, he is also a Best of the Net and Pushcart nominee. He grew up in Guwahati and lives in Delhi.