Rubin Carter The Hurricane Poem by Shaun Cronick

They don't know what's hit them,
After meeting me in the ring.
All so quickly hit the canvas,
Never to take another swing...

Rubin Carter The Hurricane.

Inside this ring that has fours sides,
Punishment looms for the weak of mind.
I fight with a fury, a burning passion,
A boxer unique the crowds get behind.

I never show mercy or any quarter,
For my opponent no hiding place.
The bell rings I come tearing out,
A flurry of punches to his face.

Blow upon blow reigns down on you,
From a skilled boxer who's hard to beat.
A right cross and a thrusting upper-cut,
Within mere seconds knocked off your feet.

When that bell rings I'm a breed apart,
My strength, my speed, my will to win.
My endless ferocity so powers my heart,
For I'll never tire and I'll never give in.

Hell will rain down on you this night,
I'm a fighting phalanx but I stand alone.
Constant left jabs endless straight rights,
Through all defences and break any bone.

This ring is my church and I its priest,
When you stand against me be ready to fight.
Or you dishonour the reason for being here,
My fists of fury you'll feel both this night.

A middle weight boxer I always wanted to be,
Since my young age with a chequered history.
No fighter now can take that away from me.
So endure my wrath receive pain guaranteed.

I will never retreat, moving only forwards,
Never stopping punching giving it my all.
My steely focus and mind set determination,
Telling me in the end I will not fall.

But life will throw a cruel curve sometimes,
An unexpected sucker-punch you'll never see.
And that is what happened many long years ago,
Accused of a foul crime not committed by me.

I was incarcerated for nearly twenty years,
For multiple murder's I never did commit,
The best years of my life inhumanely stolen,
In the end an innocent man they did acquit.

This life is tough, this life is hard,
This life can deal, the odd cruel card.
Living with it the best I can,
For in the end I'm just a man.

Rubin Carter is my name,
Better known as The Hurricane.

Dedicated to the memory of Rubin Carter,
May 6th 1937- April 20th 2014.