Obtaining the Unknown

By Grant Glennon

 

Larry Johnson,

A man who assures himself

Of an improbable truth regarding his health.

A man who claims to be a rare case

Of living with chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

A man who once found glory and fame

In a violent yet pleasurable hobby.

 

This same man,

Now lives with anxiety, paranoia,

And the occasional self-destructive impulse.

With thoughts that are filled with static,

And many moments of uncontrollable silence.

 

Mr. Johnson,

Went from a Kansas City Chiefs running back,

To a new version of himself which he had no control over.

A sense of being powerless regarding his own body,

Was a moment in which he felt great defeat.

A noticeable change of anger and aggression,

Which loved ones became frightened of.

 

Larry Johnson,

A man of mystery and of chaos.

A man which found an “answer” to his problems.

A disease which outlines a postmortem diagnosis.

A man sure that CTE is the correct label to his mental illness.

A man who can correlate sports with his current state of mind.

A question to doctors and Mr. Johnson himself,

Was it all worth it?