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
Just what is Down (ex-Pantera) frontman Philip Anselmo referring to in the first six lines of his new poem? He could be writing about a doped up "pugilistic" rocker "in slow motion." Or he might be referencing a minor 33 year old celebrity who was promised the world but squeezed like an orange, then left out to rot in the hot sun. Or maybe he's going on about some psychotic stripper who's past her prime.
But no, Phil's actually going on -- as he often does -- about his favorite sport, boxing, and the heroism, triumph and tragedy of the fighters who make it so exciting. The poem's called "The Retired Journeyman" and it was published by BoxingInsider.com. Anselmo's obsession with boxing is comparable, perhaps, to Ernest Hemmingway's love for bull fighting -- except that boxers don't brandish spears and swords and stuff... yet.
Click "more" to read the complete poem and watch Anselmo training aspiring boxer "The Anvil" and talking on camera to "Headbangers Ball" about the poetry of the ring.
"The Retired Journeyman" by Philip Anselmo
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