[Think Tank] Street (Fighter) Poetry

SHADOWLOO
by W. H.Adoken

I sit in one of the dives
At the American base
Uncertain and afraid
As the jarheaded combatant expires
Waves of “Sonic Boom!”s
Circulate over the bright and darkened
Stages of the earth
Obsessing our lives and continues;
The unmentionable odor of quarters
Offends the September night

Accurate scholarship can
Unearth the whole offense
From Balrog until now
That has driven a city mad
Find what occurred in Thailand
What bonus stages made
A crimson-suited god
I and the public know
What all Street Fighters learn
That those who call M. Bison out
Face Bison in return.

Faces along the bar
Cling to the smash and bray
Ryu must never get knocked out
Chun Li must always play
All the continues expire
To make this stage assume
The furniture of home;
Lest we should see where we are
Lost in a hidden course
Children afraid of the boss
Who cannot throw fire or force.

All I have is a joystick
To undo the final guy
The impressive man in the uniform
Who will render me dead in the street
And the lie of Shadowloo
Whose headquarters scrape the sky:
There is no such thing as Defeat
And no one fights alone.
Hadoken allows no choice
To the citizen or the police:
We must beat M. Bison or die.

- Perich

(What say you, Overthinkers – is this art? Or is this a pale imitation of art, a Killer Instinct to the original Street Fighter? Let us know in the comments!

And if the Muse inspires you to wax poetical yourself, feel free!)