You’ll see ‘em in the news, pass ‘em sittin’ on their patios, some got their heads in the clouds,
Creaky vessels, long-retired, once were warriors once were proud,
Gawked at like old relics propped up in the Museum of Natural History,
With varying degrees of admiration but from others scorn or pity,
Talking ‘bout former gladiators made a living through their physicality,
Fighting, tackling, climbing, lifting, stacking muscle for serious preening,
Not for the faint-hearted, it takes a special type of insanity,
Success not guaranteed and broken dreams are many, the summit’s reserved for the bold and gutsy,
But there’s hell to pay for putting the body through the ringer, in twilight years the the fallout become apparent,
The tools of the trade – strength, power and dexterity – become a distant memory,
Like ageing structures the joints once firm and dependable rendered rusted and creaky,
The consequences run deep, it’s a horror show down below,
The unlucky ones barely recognizable, often left forgotten and broke,
Check out some examples, the once garrulous icon rendered mute and shuffling,
Some of his peers, other former battlers, trapped in a haze from which they are defenseless,
The former master of the iron now immobile, hard to believe they once called him king,
Former living marble statues damaged, years of shooting up fucked up major vital organs,
Prime years seemed endless, their aura unconquerable, invincible, almost mythological,
But time remains undefeated, even B-Hop succumbed to it, save your breath ‘cuz Ponce ain’t found no fountain,
But hold onto those tears, keep the violins in their cases,
They had a dream and damn it they achieved it, peaks and valleys encountered but still they emerged triumphant,
That much must be celebrated, their hustle and fortitude respected,
Post-retirement struggles vary across warhorses but united over satisfaction and contentment,
Might make minor adjustments if they can re-run it, but for the most part wouldn’t change any bit of it,
Dangers lurked in their chosen adventures, certainly compared to other vocations,
They knew it from jump and accepted ‘em, fuck the naysayers calling ‘em reckless,
Your judgment is unwarranted, don’t talk down on what you don’t know,
The sacrifices were more than worth it, can’t stay drowning in sorrows,
The past is gone, legacies set in stone, save your gasps for horror films,
Like ‘em, loathe ‘em, admire ‘em or revile ‘em, in the end they did the damn thing.