Three Wrestling Poems By Guillermo Rebollo Gil

Canadian Destroyer

After Frank O’Hara



This poem is dedicated to Bad Bunny, 27,

who made his in-ring debut at WrestleMania,

hitting a perfect Canadian Destroyer 

on John Morrison. And, suddenly, I see this headline

BAD BUNNY SHOCKS THE WORLD!

There were more Puerto Rican flags last night 

in a stadium in Florida than snowflakes in Puerto Rico any night. 

There is plenty of rain here, of course. And traffic! 

And the sky looks exactly like it’s falling. 

I have been to lots of wrestling shows 

and returned home feeling perfectly destroyed, 

but I never actually shocked the world with my destruction.

Oh Bad Bunny we love you take care.


The world title of having lost him

Cody Rhodes vs. Ricochet

[WCPW Lights Out, 1/20/17]

Rhodes has the word ‘dream’ tattooed on his chest. 

It’s a tribute to his dead father, 

The American Dream Dusty Rhodes. 

Cody calls himself The American Nightmare. 

Well, better than Dream Deferred, I say. 

Like I’m always saying how

I’m gonna start keeping a notebook next to my bed,

write down my dreams upon waking. 

I found this next bit in the notebook I keep 

to document all the things I’ve never dreamt about—

America, growing old 

shoulder to shoulder with my old man,

Cody and I up late talking about our worst 

nightmares. Like the one where I wake up 

to find a tattoo that signals my father died

and I don’t know who or where to call to ask if it’s true.



My wrestler name

Well, there’s already a Warhorse, and a Warlord, 

and I can think of a couple of Warriors 

just off the top of my head. So, 

I’ve decided on Warbler—

a flock of whom is called a confusion, 

or a fall, which is fine: 

I can barely stay upright when alone.


Guillermo Rebollo Gil (San Juan, 1979) is a poet,  sociologist and attorney. His poems have appeared, or are forthcoming, in Fence, Feed, Mandorla, The Acentos Review Pittsburgh Poetry Journal, TrampsetFreezeRay and Anti-Heroin Chic. He belongs to/with Lucas Imar and Ariadna Michelle. Happily so.

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