Reckless Wrestler

 Restless Wrestler

(Richard Jay "Dick" Alexander) 

August  19,1941-July 26,2013

 by john clare stokes 

   The ring was never a final thing

  One pinfall in '58 from taking it all

  The restless wrestler paid his dues

  and took flight over those towering

 Seven Mountains to parts known 

 following friends in a signature move 

 Laughing with his entire being  

Just a cuddly Nittany cub

not really intending

 to draw blood 

 searching for some fun 

 And here he would come 

 over the Sand Hole Ridge

 up the Front Mountain with top down 

 around the Spruce with Pleiades above guiding 

 Speeding through the Long climb

 the cold Broad at two thousand feet

 with a view of the Pennsylania valley

 at Milligan's Knob

 the restless wrestler made the Sand peak about dawn

  seeing the first light from the Bald summit

 and never looking back

 the '99 Porsche Boxster purring

 toward the fun of Florida

 to the friends waiting

 away from the pain of Sandusky

 and the good memory of Paterno 

to sweet Melissa and her tender care 

the closest companion the restless wrestler

 would know before the dark match came

the fight of his life

his old five moves of doom

not helping one bit

The faithful stage grip

Not giving in

A main event guy he was

The Junior Contender facing

bravely the Lumberjack

not complaining or calling foul

The giant taking advantage of the

restless wrestler with the ring rust

the slow burn of time from the mat

taking its toll

As in the end

the restless wrestler

wasn't defeated

he only took a visual fall

took the pin laughing

wanting more than anything

to speed over those 

Seven Mountains again

his Valet Melissa waiting 

in the wings beside him

top down

the Pleiades guiding their

way through the night

to friends

the sound of deep laughter

echoing over the

Seven Mountains.