JV Wrestling

By Joshua Rivkin

We struck the mats,

call and answer:

No Mercy. No Mercy.

Our songs of command.

Strong arm. Throw legs.

Crush the lung. This, I learned,

is my body: resistance

and tenderness

and permission. After practice

we cleaned our dirt

and blood. Wet towels

pushed on all fours,

a phalanx of boys,

stench of my own sweat,

the one next to me

and the one beside him,

so that home, after showering

I could still taste

our animal flesh

as I collapsed into bed

too tired to re-dress.

Copyright Credit: Joshua Rivkin, "JV Wrestling" from Suitor. Copyright © 2020 by Joshua Rivkin. Reprinted by permission of Red Hen Press.

Source: Suitor (Red Hen Press, 2020)