THE BOXER

I was too young
to see it then,
a mortal man,
a champion,
in his defeat,
I cried myself
to sleep,

a unique time,
with little hope
and plenty, crime,
just a few years
from a lost war,

he was a role model,
for me, I was young,
of color, and poor,
even when they
called him n****r,

he was much
more to me, he was
Muhammad Ali,

he kept his hands
raised, he was king,
in the ring,
even when his
back hit the canvas,

and the callous
yelled,
"knock the n****r out"
"he's a Muslim"
"he's got a big mouth"

he'd still get up
and counter with
gloves in position
words with precision,
a man of religion,
and humble submission,

but in a crowd, he
was loud and proud