the tiger has lost his teeth
finally effectively caged
silenced
entombed in a vessel that has rejected its abuse
or maybe, simply
has stopped trying to speak to a world that won't listen

revered now that he is silent
many forget the brash youth
butterfly light
full of hornet poison
aligning with uncompromising blackness instead of
feeding into white supremacist fantasies
of who he should be

and now
you can almost hear the awwwwws
as they film him blowing out
birthday candles

fk their short memories
and their false smiles

we remember who you were
who you still are
we will teach our children
to remember the beauty of your prime
make sure they know
we respect your peace
but also know that it was forced upon you.

(c) l.a.m. 2007


although i don't deal with boxing on any real level, i've always had a soft spot for muhammad ali...mainly 'cause young pictures of him remind me of young pictures of my father...

i truly think it's possible that today, when he's smiling at the crowds of people who adore him now, that sometimes--just sometimes--he's laughing his ass off and blessin' ALL of 'em out. or at least half of 'em.

age mellows, certainly. but there's gotta still be a little of that raised-fist arrogance left in him.

so, in that spirit i say: happy birthday.