I was at Feel-Fit Gym on Sunday, in the sauna after a good session. Two guys came in. “All right, mate.” “Alright.” We said hello. They started talking with interest and urgency about diet and training regimes at various academies and dojos. It became clear that one man was a boxing instructor and the other was one of “you guys”, whom he taught. But from the detail of the conversation I guessed the student boxer was an athlete already. My kids play football at county level so I took an interest. I asked him if he was a footballer. “Yes,” he says. “I play football.” (Noticing that I had totalised him as “a footballer” while he is a person, who – among other things – plays football), “Cool,” I say, “Who do you play for?” “Chelsea,” he says. “Wow!” I say, “Academy?” I had assumed he was one of our local bright sparks. Then his mate, the fighting coach says, “First team.” Anyway, he introduces me to Malang Sarr, from Nice. Defender. Eight appearances for Chelsea and now on loan to Monaco. (I checked his photo later.) So the boxing coach asks me, “What do you do?”. I laugh. I say, “I write poems.” He asks, “What kind of poems do you write? Do you write love poems? Sad poems?” I say, “All of the above. And, angry and happy.” “Yeah,” he says, “Strong feelings make good poetry. What do your poems feel like?” Now remember this is in the sauna of a boxing gym very much on the periphery. So, in for a penny …, I recited “Stars and Crescents.”
And they listened. The boxing coach turns out to be local born and raised of Pakistani heritage. He went to the school my kids go to now. The three of us had a fearless talk about football and global politics and poetry; where we come from, family and sport. I need grandkids just so I can tell them about the time I recited one of my poems to a Premier League player and his coach in the sauna of our local gym.
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