The Jello-brained former football star
forgets which wife to hit,
and wonders why
grown men cry
at sight of him.
"You were my hero!" they say
as he goggles at them
before losing control of his bladder
again.
A perfect physical specimen,
he was bought at auction by an owner
whispering, "Smile!"
Remembering,
he does.
______
for flash 55
A lot of this going around, as I'm sure you intended us to see--and I really hope it isn't happening inside my own head, which seems to be very good at hiding reality from me, and choosing which memories to activate in its Pavlovian manner. A knife-blade of a 55, Shay.
ReplyDeleteAgreed with hedgewitch.. quite a sharp 55.
ReplyDeleteWell penned.
Lots of love,
Sanaa
Fifty-five (words) and fabulous.
ReplyDeleteYou encapsulate the world of money, exploitation and broken dreams (i.e. of sport) all too well in this cutting 55.
ReplyDeleteMoney, fame and status seems to create amnesia in too many people... deftness and blindness, too.
ReplyDeletei would say there's a reason I have difficulties appreciating the world of sports.
ReplyDeleteThe perfectly programmed robot....
ReplyDeleteI can't help thinking of Ali and wonder how much the sport contributed to his Parkinson's.
ReplyDeleteOf sport's figures it is true "he was bought at auction by an owner" but he also placed himself on the block. Money and fame are merciless.
Pretty awful. In answer to Debi, I feel like boxing probably was a major contributor to Ali's parkinson's--but I guess that is hard to say. Very good to fit it all into 55. k.
ReplyDeleteSO direct and factual that the rubes will blink and wonder what yer talkin about.....but we carry on
ReplyDeleteALOHA
ComfortSpiral
=^..^=
I don't get this...it seems to be referring to slavery...selling a human being. Two wrongs don't make a right...Guess I'm a rube...more name-calling. Just SAD!!! :-(
ReplyDeleteDamn, girl! That's brutal.
ReplyDeleteA pointed look at a sad reality. People use other people's bodies to make money in more ways than one.
ReplyDeleteOh, that's so sad, and too true.
ReplyDeleteVery sharp. You show us how poorly we choose our heroes and how cruel we are in creating them. Like Larry, Daryl and Daryl said, "Anything for a buck." Or a couple billion of 'em.
ReplyDeleteWith the start of the football season, this really strikes a chord. Love, "he forgets which wife to hit". Some of these guys are jello-brained even before they get hit on the field.
ReplyDelete