DB Cox- A Poem

fight
--- for Ali, "The Greatest"

even as a kid
i knew fighting
rage always ready
waiting
like a rock in my pocket
half-clad gladiator
caught inside
an impromptu
circle of laughter
glaring at my opponent
calculating the sum
gathered in his eyes
focused
slow-breathing
deaf to any sounds
that might distract
from the task at hand
reptilian brain
devising tactics
of pain
a need to move
forward & back
at the same time
watching
for that first fist
to arc toward the face
world reduced
to a primal point
strange lessons
more real
than golden rules
that cannot hold--
while some kids
filled hollow characters
in dime-store
coloring books
we painted each other
by the numbers