The Mat

I sit surrounded by pain and my brothers in arms
I sit drenched in my own sweat and blood, plus that of others
We have been brethren for three years, since I first stepped up
We have cried with each other, laughed with each other
These men are my equals, these men are my brothers
Miles of skill may separate us all
But we are all there when one or the other takes a fall
We have fought back from the bottom, kept our spot at the top
Now it is all in its end, and our sacrifice forgot
But not by us, by those that come after
‘Till the day of our death will think of these days
More than often the low times instead of the high times
We have had each others back, the next day have been at each others throats
But the bond that has been built will last through the years
We will remember the times when we lost those tough bouts
We will remember the times when we won those big matches
We will remember the times when we should have stepped up
We will remember the times we should have kept our mouths shut
No one would take it back, though there are times we regret
We have built friendships, brotherhoods, all because of the mat