Last Eleven

There we were standing in line Late to bloom Slow to shine We wait for our turn to come around Shadows lengthen on the ground Then we are found Together we are stronger We can take wing And scale the heights Hang out in the long grass if we like Or build ourselves a home With towers that reach the sky So, here we stand He wants to knock me out the park I send a full-pelter through Warming up Getting in the groove It's not who they think you are But what you choose to be We were the last eleven Those left behind The oversights The extras The make-up-the-numbers The footnotes In other stories Low-deckers Slow starters Don't-give-them-a-second-glancers Shallow enders This time I had the length just right Fast paced I sent his wicket flying Sometimes the quiet ones can roar Those at the back come to the fore There's hope enough for us all And light left in the day We were the last eleven Those left behind The oversights The extras The make-up-the-numbers The footnotes In other stories Low-deckers Slow starters Don't-give-them-a-second-glancers Shallow enders We stepped out from the shadows Headed for the light Blinking and stumbling Hoping it will all be alright We came up from the darkness Turned our faces to the sun Together we were stronger We were not the only ones Shallow enders Last eleven Are we nearly there yet? Can the likes of us Find a place to call our own?