Martial Way 2.0 Poem by Deluke Muwanigwa

(Inspired by Master Frank Yue)

My instructor was called Power
But i learned the hard way from Roger
Power taught me Shukokai Karate style
Rogers taught me violence without a smile
Roger saw me taking controlled baby steps
Told me to come to his dojo where he punched me in the face straight.
I was not discouraged and spent more sessions with Roger
Learning how, in a fight, to be sober

Roger was a rigorous teacher indeed
He would sit on my shoulders while i did squats with speed
He would force me to do splits and finger push ups
But months later i became a formidable bust upper
I discovered the restrictive military style of the Karate style
Started watching Bruce Lee movies and books by the pile

I started practicing "a way without a way"
Learned Karate was more like dance but JKD held sway
I became obsessed with training
Finding new ways to be faster and really straining
Spent a lot of time alone in the forest
Talking to nature using trees, streams with no rest
I would jog fifteen kilometres one way up to the city
And jog back and carry on with splits and rope training strictly

It came to pass my annoying cousin brother was home
I arrived from Roger's squats torture to find he had come
Before we greeted he started throwing punches and kicks
Checking to see if i had learned any new tricks
I told him was tired and not in the mood
My pleas were misunderstood.
Up to now i do not know what happened in split seconds
My cousin brother was lying face down, but i had not reckoned

My brother who was watching the commotion
Explained that i lept up and gave a flying kick from position
Without building momentum to fly
My cousin brother never again tried
To provoke me even in brotherly jest
What scared me was the involuntary reflex
Reflexes took over when the irritation peaked
From there i tried to avoid confrontation when i was piqued.