Phil Anselmo (Superjoint Ritual, Down, ex. Pantera) als Poet

Na wenn der Boxkampf mal kein Thema für ein Gedicht ist? Die Sprache der Poesie als fragiler Rahmen für die schweißtreibend martialische Auseinandersetzung quasi…



Da Phil Anselmo (Superjoint Ritual, Down, ex. Pantera) allerdings schon lange als Box-Fan bekannt ist und den Sport auch selber seit Jahren praktiziert, ist diese Bekundung der Hingabe immerhin nicht verwunderlich. Veröffentlicht wurde sie passenderweise dann auch von der Box-Seite Boxing Insider.



Das Gedicht heißt THE RETIRED JOURNEYMAN und soll euch in seiner lyrischen Pracht natürlich nicht weiter vorenthalten bleiben:



A trained; composed; skilled fist

can strike out at an opponent for only so long

before it connects directly into the hearts of loved ones closest.

A pugilistic dementia reaction of habit

with a system in slow motion.

Done by thirty-three

and bitter about it.

What could have been!

Not a single promise kept.

No limelight.

Golden gloves trophies, colorless ribbons

and lost timelines…

gather dust

next to a stack of unopened mail;

forgotten for months.

Or years.

Bloodstains on a battle tested brain.

A warrior

fed back to the cruel streets unwanted and

left to cope alone

with predictable failure lying await in ambush

ticking like a time bomb inside of himself.

Whether it be nerve-damaged ticks

violent, abrupt outbursts

fists through framed family photos

or bottom shelf tequila—

this man is but a trapped, wounded hero

with torn pride inside.

A sad baggage to heave around

with nowhere to put it,

nor knowledge of how to.

The Retired Journeyman will be remembered

as the portrayal of a man that left his mark

as the loser of boxing matches

by those of us who lived through his losses

and have scorned his name because of them.

But let us take a moment to allot compassion for him

because to remember his name

is to know the unparalleled and oft-misguided courage it takes

to climb through the ropes, and into the ring

with nothing left.

For every champion, they must first meet The Journeyman…

who’s scarred face serves its purpose

and with every punch it receives, it

only serves as a detriment to this man’s health

and further distances him, from him.

Woe to The Journeyman—

a hollow young man

with only directionless; puzzled memories of combat

left on his head.

Bereft of family or friends

sitting quietly in his lonely squat—

uninvited, yet familiar company is kept

and can always be found seated in an opposing corner of the house

in a dimly lit smoker

waiting for the bell to ring

in The retired Journeyman’s

aspiration-dead

imagination.





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+ Phil Anselmo: Ohne die Medien hätten sich Pantera wieder zusammengerauft

+ Pantera-Sänger Philip Anselmo nimmt die Arbeit bei Christ Inversion wieder auf

+ Phil Anselmo (Pantera, Down, Superjoint Ritual) schreibt über Metal, Erfolg und Schattenseiten