Dear Lionel Messi...Even Though Our Bodies Are Two... Poem by P A Noushad ...

Even Though Our Bodies Are Two...
Dear Lionel Messi,
I love you, not only because you play football as though the stars themselves have become a ball beneath your feet,
but because, without ever knowing me, you have taught me how to live...
You have shown me that happiness is born far beyond superstition, beyond hatred, beyond communal divisions, beyond every narrow domestic wall that imprisons the human spirit...
The earth is beautiful, dear, yet how often fear is placed in our hands instead of freedom, blind beliefs instead of wisdom, and invisible chains instead of wings...
Many times my own wings have grown weary...
Many times the storms of life have whispered, 'Do not fly.'
Yet every time I watched you rise again, I learned another lesson:
Perseverance.
Hope.
Quiet courage.
Hard work.
Kindness.
Humanity.
These are the greatest trophies you have ever lifted...
Tomorrow, you walk once more into a World Cup Final.
You have already given the world more than it could ever ask. Reaching the final itself is a magnificent victory.
So whether Argentina lifts the trophy or not, your light can never be defeated.
The world is waiting, perhaps expecting you to announce your farewell.
But my heart whispers,
No...
Not yet.
Stay a little longer.
Let the children dream a little longer.
Let the stadiums sing your name a little longer.
Let hope wear the number on your back a little longer.
When you score and lift your finger toward the heavens, when you send your flying kiss to God, my own heart overflows with quiet joy.
I remember my beloved grandfather, my father, and my brother, who left this world before they could witness the small victories of my own journey...
Yet, when you spoke of Maradona smiling from heaven, I believed once again that love does not die.
Perhaps those whom we miss still watch us.
Perhaps they still rejoice.
Perhaps heaven applauds more softly than the crowds, yet more eternally.
I was born amid hardship, poverty, and exploitation..
Still, I continue to walk.
Still, I continue to write.
Still, I continue to dream.
Because somewhere, without ever meeting me, you reminded me that impossible dreams are often the beginning of beautiful realities.
Millions applaud the masterpieces you paint upon the green field.
But I admire the masterpiece you have painted within the human heart.
Football will remember your goals.
History will remember your victories.
But humanity will remember your humility...
And that, dear Messi, is your greatest achievement.
Even though our bodies are two,
I feel our spirit is one.
For wherever love triumphs over hatred, wherever hope rises above despair, wherever kindness defeats pride,
there, I find you.
And there, I find myself...