appealing

The Maynard
Spring 2020

Barry Peters
0:00
 
 

Wrestlers

Matted down among other coupled boys
in cotton T-shirts, polyester shorts.
Heat. Breath. Dollar aftershave. Rub of skin
and muscle. Tangled in forbidden contact,
we can’t stop laughing, exhausting
the patience of Coach McKee.
The absurdity of touching my best friend.
The intimacy of holding his wrist.
What we learn in gym class: not the hip throw
or headlock, not the cradle or high crotch
but the counter-move. Deflection. Reversal.
When the girls return from summer, they hug.
Not us. Our eyes meet. We nod. We escape.