El Mañungo

Did you know Mañungo?
Surely not
He was a kid from my neighborhood
That, in my childhood
I met in a soccer match
That we played, one day
With the boys from the block
Behind mine

He always seemed sick
Because he coughed and coughed
And that's why in the match
They hardly ever put him in
They said he was too skinny
That he couldn't shoot
And if someone tackled him
He couldn't handle it and fell

He was never a friend to anyone
Because no one liked him
And when after school
We organized the game
He stayed watching
From outside the field
Waiting for a chance
To see if they would put him in

I seem to see him
Watching us play
With his hands behind his back
Hiding his sorrow
Although sometimes he couldn't bear it
And, almost about to cry
He looked as if saying
"I also want to play"

Mañungo was honest
And the day I got into a fight
He was the only one by my side
With punches and kicks
He defended me as best he could
And endured better than me
The beating we received
From everyone, both of us

Forgive me if I bore you
Telling you these things
But a friend like him
I have never had again
That's why I cried
Like a man that I was, and I am
The day that, forever
That cough took him away

Mañungo was my friend
And that's why I remember him
Sometimes I almost see him
When I start to think
Outside the field
Hiding his sorrow
Saying with his gaze
And almost about to cry
Boys, what's going on?
I also want to play