in 2008.Done up in drag, he’s half-grinning.
Really, he couldn’t be expected
to take it seriously; it’s all just good PR,
the suspension’s aftermath.
His beard shaved for the occasion,
there’s a pinprick of dried blood
on his bruised cheek where the punch landed
and the home team’s fans cheered.
That’s past. Now he’s just a man
in a dress on the street,
passers-by on each side,
no Plexiglas. No one asking for autographs.