Down to Earth

You asked about wrestling angels
I don’t know about that
other than maybe hanky-panky
with the wife
But I did once wrestle a 100lb catfish
from the mud of the Tennessee river
it was angelic with its whiskers
that send radio signals to god
a carp archangel needing a shave
burped in my face
holy mackerel
the clouds exploded like angels
fighting in the sky
rain pouring down
a 10 count of thunder
I heard the voice of God
as Howard Cosell
calling Frazier-Forman in ‘73:
Down goes Frazier!
Down goes Frazier!
Down goes Frazier!

For Desperate Poets

24 thoughts on “Down to Earth

  1. Love it. Funny you should mention Ali-Frazier. When I encounter someone named Joe (other than my son), I always really really want to go full Ali on them and say stuff like “You goin’ down, Joe! You can’t beat ME, Joe!” etc, except that coming from me it would only be ridiculous and so I resist the urge (just barely.) I happened to be in the Philippines at the time of The Thrilla in Manila but did not see the fight. In fact, I have never been to a prize fight and doubt I’d like it, but I loved Ali and his trash talk, and how he backed it up with skill.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. I love this so much! Love the whiff of its breath that opened the heavens. Smiles. And the whiskers sending radio signals to god……..

    Liked by 1 person

  3. “whiskers
    that send radio signals to god”
    THAT is evocative! The whole thing smacks of the contrasts between what is sacred and what is earthy, what is holy and what is profane. Well done.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you so much. I hope in my distortions of speculative theology, Frazier hitting the mat as some kind of loose allusion to fallen angels (OK, large, beefy, fighting angels!) isn’t too broken.

      Like

    1. That is a great question. Sometimes, or certainly often enough to make me keep doing it, LOL! This one was a depressing fail for days, and I was about to throw in the towel. Something flashed under the water though. When the poem came together, yes it was a lot of fun. It really makes my day though when folks like you seem to enjoy them.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. LOL! Yes indeed. And while choking on the muddy water thrashing about, who is to say what we are wrestling there. How would I know the difference between a giant carp and that angel I knew was somewhere herabouts?

      Liked by 1 person

Leave a reply to Alexander De Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.