EditableDeep inside the molten core of a
volcano, three ghostly translucent
figures hammering a glowing golden
trophy form on an obsidian anvil —
each ghost recognizable only by
their number and kit style, ghost
wearing Brazil 10 from 1950 who
lost the Maracanazo final, ghost
wearing Netherlands 14 who lost
three finals and never won, ghost
wearing Hungary 11 from 1954 the
greatest team who never became
champions, their transparent hands
pass through the hammer but somehow
the trophy is being shaped by
their grief alone, molten gold
dripping from the mold like tears,
walls of the volcano covered in
carved names of every player who
retired without lifting it, the
trophy itself glowing with the
condensed longing of 70 years,
one ghost looks directly at camera
with hollow eyes that contain
entire stadiums inside them,
Greg Rutkowski meets Zdzisław
Beksiński nightmare beauty,
muted ash grays and volcanic
orange, 9:16 Portrait