Tuesday, June 07, 2016

poetry in motion

he dabbled in poetry.  they were amateurish, sort of, and his verses were simple but they connect and they communicate and amuse which is what poems are supposed to do.  most of his verses were about himself and his craft and about the persons he gets to tangle with. or, box with.

for, he was a boxer.

and he gets to be inside the boxing "ring" which is of course a squared arena fenced  in with ropes where he and his opponent hit each other with gloved fists until the better man triumphs.

before him, the sport of boxing was mostly about physical power and sheer violence.  boxing was most times two gladiators with tensed muscles and strained physiques raining devastating blows at each other, toe-to-toe, till one body succumbs to the fatigue, the hurt, and the humiliation of defeat.

he changed all that.

for he was a poet.  a poet in motion.  as one of his verses declared, he

stung like a bee,
floated like a butterfly ... 

atop the square ring, he danced; he showed spectators that boxers are not all brawn, but, they have brains as well; that boxing can be a "thinking" sport, that physical power and sheer violence can be overwhelmed by strategy and planning, by grace in movement, by poetry in motion.     

he always declared he is The Greatest. his boxing feats in world heavyweight division will attest to this.  yet, many say that his greatness even lies outside the boxing world.  he has become an icon, especially for the colored man, for he has shown that one can rise beyond the pigmentation of one's skin, if one can will himself to do so.  as he did.

he is gone now. he died June 3.

Muhammad Ali.  

so long .. tonight i will relive the pinpoint jabs, 
the Ali shuffle, 
the gladiator's smile, 
the rope-a-dope,

the poet in motion ...

4 comments:

captron52 said...

Ali was indeed The Greatest! A very insightful human being who just happened to make his living in the ring. And a fellow Kentuckian. The world is now one hero shorter than what is was before.

sito saguid said...

dear Ron,

you Kentuckians must be very proud to have contributed such a giant of a man! he will continue to be a great role model not just for being a true and chivalric sports hero but more so as an exemplary human being ..

Anonymous said...

Namaste brother, a tribute to a great man. Such a peaceful, loving man of esteemed virtue. Cassius Clay was great man, Muhammad Ali was a great leader an incredible beast for peace, unity, love.

Countless memories filter through my mind relating to either his amazing prowess in the ring, or his beautiful voice of unity. You know an excellent athelete is also a very special human being when you have a hard time deciding which brought more pleasure, the grace of his art or the beauty of his loving heart. For me, I believe more joy has been derived from the snippets of his vocal expressions than from the precision of his artful prowess as a prize fighter.

Missed by countless millions, this great man, leaves a legacy as an impeccable physical and spiritual warrior. Thank you for this post brother Sito.

In Lak' ech... prosper with love... live with joy...

sito saguid said...

dear brother Chris

indeed! the man left his indelible mark as a physical and spiritual warrior. i just hope the younger generation will discover his legacy and find inspiration in what he had accomplished ...