the game

you draw a hot
bath, as soon
as you get home
from playing
basketball, you
make the water
as boiling
hot as you can
stand it, you take
off all of your
clothes, let them
drop heavy to
the floor,
cloaked in sweat,
and slide in,
you let the heat
sink into your
skin, permeate
your aging bones,
until you are done,
cooked and loose,
able to walk
again with only
a slight limp.
you have twenty
hours or so to
recover and
get back on
the court again.
ibuprofen helps
too, as does a
few martinis
before bedtime.