Love and Football - Playing Injured

I'm playing injured. Not because I'm unwise. How silly of them all to suggest this. Younger or older, well read or not, well experienced or not, they all tell me what you never have: You're not the one for me. There for me when I was younger. I came to you, kicking around and not sure how to. You taught me to love you, I got better at you. I grew with you. I grew because of you, I owe you that regardless. But you grew because of me too. I shared you with my friends, as best as I could. Morning or night, and best of all on hot summer evenings, stepping outside to be with you was always best, is always best.

When I was with you, I knew myself. Living in the head of a young man makes a slave to ambition. I tell myself where I need to be and I'm there. I don't need to dwell on where I was, or whether I'm ready. I'm ready. Playing injured, when I'm with you, I know myself. I know my limitations because they catch me by surprise. My mind knows what to do, but I can't bring about the action as I wanted, as I planned. Trying to catch you, but I can't. When I was younger, before the injuries, I could have caught up to you. We could have ran together however you liked, at my feet, bouncing off my head, or right into my chest; I would have kept you safe and all to myself. Now you slip away as I scramble to catch up to you.

Some say injuries are life lessons. Not sure what to learn from this injury except that now things are harder. Harder than they need to be. "Why carry on?" they ask me. "You shouldn't carry on" they tell me. "Why don't you just try something new?" they ask me. "Try something new" they tell me. How silly of them to suggest this: That I play their games for my happiness. Somewhere along the lines everyone else got the memo on where my happiness lies. But I am not mistaken. Even when you break my bones with harsh words like torn and ruptured - words harder than sticks and stones. Even when you lay me out for weeks on end in rehab, on my bed in tears, I will come back to you. I met you by circumstance but over the years we've kept in touch because we're better together. We have a lot to offer each other. You are my light even when you're burned out. I will tend to myself and to you as needed so we can shock the world again. I'm playing injured with you, not because I am unwise, but because I was born to play with you.

I'm not looking for alternatives, I just need you to give me clearance to play.