>
bow at the edge
bow at the line
Hajime!
one step forward and it’s over
that fast
no you sidestep
grab
resist the other
hooks your ankle
midstep
hip taps the mat
Koka!
small point
not yours
one minute in and you’re already
choking on your lungs
burning and blurry and down
arm bar across your throat
chin down clench every joint
to your chest
fingers pry but can’t unlock you
so the ref calls
Matte!
reset
breatheHajime!
grab\twist\kick\brace\block\sprawl\stand/step/fake/throw
fall forward
on top of the other
chest-to-chest-to-back-to-mat
Ippon!
win
bow at the line
bow at the edge
breathe
Nicole,
Your poem takes me into the fight with you, even though I know nothing about martial arts.
Nicely done.
Thanks, Irene! I just realized the formatting is off, but I’m glad it still works. =)
Nicole,
e mail Uche and ask him what to do to format correctly.
He knows all about how to work around the WordPress demons.
Formatting fixed. Uche rules. =)
Yeah, this time the demons gored me, but I think I have them pinned. Ippon! 🙂
Not to get too deep backstage, but my only worry is that if any editor should touch the piece in visual mode, it might collapse again. I did save a (I think) properly formatted HTML copy so that if that happens, I can make a hot fix.
Nicole,
It’s beautiful the right way!
I told you Uche rules!
Sweet!
Uche, Erika Rae, Slade Hamm and I are all martial artists to one degree or another. We’re thinking about starting a TNB Fight Club. You should join us.
Dude, I would be stoked and honored! I’m in LA too, so that’s actually feasible…
Alas, none of us are! I’m in San Diego, Slade (sorry about the last name, man, I watch too much Mad Men) is in Texas and Uche and Erika are in Denver.
One day though, we’ll meet…and only one will walk away.
Matt,
San Diego and LA are practically next door to each other.
Get together and film the first TNB bout!
d’oh! well, someday…
Unfortunately, Irene, circumstances have conspired to keep me from heading to L.A. next month, so I’ll be missing Simon and Zara and everyone else.
This time.
Besides, why do you assume I’d be doing the filming, instead of fighting for the title?
Matt, you just had to bring the Don King, eh?
TNB Highlander. There can be only one! Kumite…Jime!
(disembodied voice): Feeneesh him (or her)!
Or we could just go drop sake bombs after some heavily padded sparring 😀
Tekken 6: TNB. Sake and shoju bonus round. I totally dig it.
Shoju????!!!!!! Aaaaaiiiiiiiieeeeee! (runs & hides)
Now that’s true martial arts.
Maaa-aaat!
I assumed you would get someone else to film you and nicole in a match!
How little you trust me, grasshopper.
Anyway, this might be the best poem in English on martial arts I’ve ever read. Welcome to TNB, Nicole.
Thanks, Uche!! Beyond flattering!
I love that this has become a subset of TNB, the martial arts discussions.
And now we have a poem for it!
Welcome to TNB, Nicole!