Sean Meggeson

Salute to the One-Ballers

Keitel, Dafoe, Clift,
Cage, Walken, Pacino,
and, definitely, Brando…

They shirked the 
limits of anatomy
and—don’t you know?— 
underwent an orchiectomy.
Henceforth, they lope-lean
into The Way, breathing 
from a space deeper 
than conscious craft. 
Impossible with a full sack.  

Beware imitators.
They but seem to lean:
Cooper—imitator 
DiCaprio—pretender  
Pattinson—who dat?
Pitt—nope  

Imagine Tom Cruise (archetypal 
two-baller) with Walken’s line:
“I hid this uncomfortable hunk 
of metal up my ass two years.”

It becomes sound against music, 
an F-14 landing On the Waterfront. 
Deer Hunter ending on Love Island.
“Bazinga!” splooging onto “Attica!” 

Hawke, Hardy, Depp,   
Cage, Clift, Dean,
and, yup, McQueen

Think on their sacrifice 
next time you jam your hand 
in pocket, dreaming 
of Griffith Observatory 
under the luscious LA light.