During my freshmen year in college
I had the urge to continue
my wrestling career
which did not need
to be resurrected
but at that time in my life
I was still an idealist

So my brother Jesse and I decided
to enter the wrestling room
partly on a dare
from a couple of guys
from Minnesota who lived in our dorm
and partly to prove
we still knew
where to try to find
our manhood

I decided that I would not cut my long hair
before the first practice
which in hindsight was not the best idea
because it helped to piss off the coach
and he doubled the intensity of the wrestling practice
for our enjoyment

I also did not think I needed to
do any advanced training
before hitting the wrestling mat
and after the first five minutes
it became evident that
this was not the best strategy

but I did it
I made it through the practice
and I only threw up once
I think but maybe
I went back for seconds
and shared my lunch with the team

I was exhausted
winter drenched in sweat
but I was wrestling again
and I still had it
even if it lasted
only one afternoon