The GreatestA Poem by Tate MorganHere this man had stood by himself took the pain dealt to him alone For all the things that he believed he was willing to lose his throneAli known at the time as "Cassius Clay" defeats Sonny Liston for the Heavyweight title of the world. It's hard to express this in words for the younger generation But when I was just a small lad heavyweight fights led the nation It wasn't that we didn't care for the struggle of civil rights It was just that back in those days men worshiped the heavyweight fights
While Martin Luther had a place in the hearts and minds of us all It was the audacious Ali who held the boxing world in thrall He was Cassius Marcellus Clay born in nineteen forty two A victor at the Olympics from where his legend only grew
He had made short work of Liston who had mauled way more than a few In a fight where barely a soul had known what this great champ could do He then changed his name to Ali going on to crush all comers Taunting each of the challengers for what seemed like endless summers
But then he'd dared refuse the draft while men cried in lamentation "How could the great Heavyweight Champ bring such disgrace to our nation" The commissioners took his title along with his Olympic gold They knocked him down, and took his crown crying "How dare he be so bold"
Here this man had stood by himself took the pain dealt to him alone For all the things that he believed he was willing to lose his throne Though as we all found out later he was right to protest that war Ali stood by his convictions and soon he would do even more
At the end of his long career after Larry Holmes won their fight I asked a close black friend of mine "just who did you bet on tonight" "I put my money on the champ he fights with such malignity I guess I knew, that he was through but he gave me my dignity"
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© 2019 Tate Morgan
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Added on August 28, 2013Last Updated on February 18, 2019 Tags: poetry AuthorTate MorganMarion , OHAboutAvailable from Amazon XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX I am a product of the Midwest. Raised on the plain states of North America. I was nurtured on a .. more..Writing
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