The Contender Poem by Jan Oskar Hansen

The contender

I have not met many famous people in me continues life
but I have seen three kings, the first one who, when old
broke his leg for a reason not clear to me, died from
the accident that involved a horse
His son took over, he liked to dress in an admiral uniform
fond of sailing and cocktails, as was Hercules Poirot
when he died, his son became king, a quiet man who has
not done anything legendary.
Of course, they were only famous for being kings in them
little country not like Alan Ladd and Jack Dempsey I saw
a warm summer night in New York; Alan was short and
Jack was tall, and they walked into a bar.
My life is a modest one, hamburger cook when not sitting
In a pub with other pretenders, talking about art, which
we had not seen other than in magazines and books we
had read, thinking we're intellectuals.
Not that I complain, I once took an acting course, but
nothing came out of it, even though friends said I was
talented doing press-ups with one arm behind my back
while drinking a pint of beer.