The Wrestling Poetry Project

[Ros]

Bizarre.

[k-j]

Poetry and wrestling! I think it's an excellent combination!

If I knew anything at all about wrestling (or poetry) I'd give it a go.

Presumably the grappling is of the Greco-Roman variety?

[Ros]

I still say: bizarre.

[Sharra]

hehe I agree with Ros, but bizarre isn't bad
I think its the juxtaposition of big sweaty men throwing each other around, and poetry. Conjures up some great images!
Sharra
xx

[Ros]

bizarre
Adjective
odd or unusual, esp. in an interesting or amusing way

[k-j]

It is unquestionably bizarre.

Still working on my rondeau about Giant Haystacks.

[David]

It's a cultural thing, n'est-ce pas. I think wrestling - leaving aside the sheer madness of the World Wrestling Federation - has a much more respectable image in the US. It's something that nice college boys do, as in the World According to Garp, if I remember correctly.

Even on the showbiz level of WWF (WWE now, is it?), it's completely different to Saturday afternoons with Kent Walton, featuring Jackie Pallo, Mick McManus and Les Kellet. It's the difference between Star Wars and Salad Days with the local players in a village hall.

[camus]

Mick Mcmanus, Kendo Nagasaki.

Fat blokes in tights, on Saturday afternoons...

Brilliant!

[Marc]

Shall I compare thee to Giant Haystacks?
Thou art more hairy..etc

Love this idea. Maybe great poetry stands more chance of coming out of an original 'off the wall' (outside the ring?) idea than the usual old tripe poets are attracted to write about: eg, love, loss, disloyalty, existential questioning, heavyweight boxing,naked women mudwrestling etc

Will definitely put my thinking cap on. Should help that I know nothing at all about wrestling.

'This be the first round'

'They fuck you up, heavyweight wrestlers,
They never mean to but they do.
They fill your face with forearm
And add some floor drops just for you.

But they were fucked up in their turn
By sweaty men in underclothes
Who half the time were soppy stern
And half at one another's throats.

Man hands on misery to man
Particularly in a wrestling match.
Get out quickly while you can -
And avoid that final, violent snatch.

Marc (with apologies to PL)

[Ros]

That's great, Marc. The whole concept still makes me laugh, but I think that's a giant cultural difference between British and US wrestling.

Ros

[Marc]

Thanks Ros - I think the above might be the best poem I've ever written!!
I think it's an interesting theme but can't help finding it hilarious at the same time. The potential for humour is so great I mght find it undermines all serious intent....

If I should die think only this of me -
'why didn't he get a sensible job instead?'

the possibilities are completely endless....
Marc

[Ros]

Yes, absolutely impossible to take seriously!

[Ros]

No idea, Rus. There are boxing clubs for youngsters in most cities, I think, but I've never heard of any wrestling clubs. It's not something that happens at school or even university level, as far as I know.

Ros

[k-j]

What happened to wrestling in Great Britain of all places in the world, that wrestling would become so lost, that it would be perceived as a joke?

It's certainly an interesting question. I'd guess only a minority of Brits are even aware that wrestling can take any form other than the ludicrous "professional" werestling facade. The only time there's any exposure at all to any other kind would be the occasinoal chance glimpse on TV at the Olympics.

Martial arts like judo do perfectly well so it can't be some inherent aversion to grappling. As Ros says, boxing hasn't faltered any more in the UK than in the USA. Perhaps it was practised in the public school system*, given its classical history, and no longer is? That might account for the early olympic successes.

*By this I mean a handful of highly exclusive fee-paying schols with a long history, not public schools like in the US.

[Marc]

Hi Rus,
my apologies for my flippancy towards the sport but in the UK the wrestling we grew up with in the 60's/70's was typified by Giant Haystacks and Big Daddy (have a look on youtube - you'll see why it's funny). It never had the glamour or big money of boxing - it was a downmarket alternative. In the USA and Mexico you had a more developed theatrical wrestling which has grown into the whole WWF (?That's not the acronym for the worldwide fund for nature is it?!) thing...
Marc

[David]

WWF has now changed its name to WWE. Or is it WTF?

[Ros]

Or is it WTF?

[Ros]

and I want to scan through Emily Dickinson's work to see which of hers to include as well.

You know, I never knew Emily Dickinson wrote about wrestling.