The Motivator

Lulabell  Kitchens took a man's jaw out

As he was lumbering off the field in Grey,

Small town outside of Macon.  "Came to play!"

Coach yelled as players on their knees would shout

When they discovered blood and gluey bits

Of tongue.  The boy lost all his teeth. The plate

They put inside his mouth would captivate

The air waves far as Rome and Biarritz.

Coach watched the team nurse drop the chunks of tongue

Into a plastic bag.  The chunks had names:

Lil' Bit, The Bruiser, Candy Man.  At games

He'd lift them high, put the ho back into gung.

Lance Levens, lancelevens@hotmail.com, is a teacher of Latin and English. His publications include: Beloit Poetry Journal, Scrivener

Creative Review, Poetry Southeast,    Penwood Review, Oak Square, et al.