April Poems 2016/25

Krav Maga

Thirty seconds
never sounds a long time
until you're approaching exhaustion
then thirty seconds feels like an hour
with every muscle screaming
begging for rest, for relief.

It seems easy at first
thirty seconds of shin kicks
ten seconds of rest
thirty seconds of knee strikes
elbow strikes
front kicks
hammer fists
side kicks
palm strikes
groin kicks
open palms
thirty seconds
thirty seconds
thirty seconds.

Six minutes
doesn't sound like much exercise
but quite often it's the length of a street fight
when survival on the line
and the next thirty seconds
means life or death.


© Rachel Green 2016