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CTE

Clik The Mouse

Friday, April 1st, 2016

1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 ALL:
Please note we have had to introduce a spam blocking mechanism to the poem submission process, I hope you all appreciate that this has only been done out of necessity.

2 Leave a comment on verse 2 0 Our thanks again to the site’s original builder, Dave Cockroft, who has always willingly helped out when necessary.

3 Leave a comment on verse 3 0 ~ # ~

4 Leave a comment on verse 4 0 CTE

5 Leave a comment on verse 5 0 I’m the meat in the sandwich –
sofa buddies either side of me
“head-the-ball” to my left (he never did)
and “Scrapper” to the right –
a little mini-me
cultured, clued-in and committed
not afraid to put his head in where it hurts
yet he’s usually ahead of the game
and comments wisely
as we dissect the Euro prepping friendlies

6 Leave a comment on verse 6 0 I’m proud of both the aforementioned
different in their own ways
yet genetically tied
to their ‘doddery da’

7 Leave a comment on verse 7 0 And then the discussion
turned to concussion

8 Leave a comment on verse 8 0 I too
met every lofted ball
mid-temple for deftness
mid-forehead for power or distance
over and over and over
loving it
the challenge, the crunch, the crucial intervention

9 Leave a comment on verse 9 0 now I’m like me ma
arthritic bones and swollen joints
trending to me da
rusty, musty and muddled
and I wonder, is my journey
to full sofa attachment
going to be hastened
not by the nutmegs, the shimmies or disco nights
but by the “nut clubbing”
of aerial battles?

10 Leave a comment on verse 10 0 The heirs, see no grace
in their frumpy, grumpy paterfamiliass (sic)
but is one of them on the same pre-determined track?

11 Leave a comment on verse 11 0 Despite the now founded fears
I just know
if I could do it all over again
the heart, the mind, the soul
would still have me out there
defending my goal

© Clik the mouse, 29/03/2016

Notes

CTE : chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a brain condition associated with repeated traumatic brain injuries (concussions) like those received by professional athletes and sports participants.

A.
Inspiration?
I’ve been wanting to write for a long time about the growing movement in the USA to ban heading in under-age soccer (I think it already is for Girls soccer?). Yet I couldn’t find the right trigger.

Until tonight.
I watched an absolutely fascinating (& harrowing) RTE documentary on concussion and protocols in Ireland, mainly in Rugby, which also alluded to the recent lawsuits in Gridiron and to many incidents in Rugby.

B.
‘head-the-ball’ : an Irishism meaning ‘oddball’

C.
An associated trigger: mother-in-law Theresa staying with us all this week, in early onset dementia.

D.
The documentary also featured young Ben Robinson, 14 years old, who lost his life while playing Rugby, in a concussed state, due to SIS : Second Impact Syndrome.

Lessons to be learned for us all.

E.
#1 & #3 feature in the poem.
#2 was out on a date. His first date saw him at the recent movie called Concussion, starring Will Smith, which by all accounts was fascinating.

Source: http://footballpoets.org/poems/cte/