Muhammad Ali Under Water Poem by Bryan Corbett

The Champ
training
under water
holding his breath
the striking contrast of the
white boxing shorts against his
black skin
the ripple of light
the watery shadows
a left jab
a right hook
an uppercut
and that fancy footwork
no, not foot work
'work' would be the wrong word
it was a dance, it was:
The Dance of the Butterfly

and it was while I
was losing myself
in that photograph
that it occurred to me
that even under water
I wouldn't have wanted
to take a punch from
The Champ