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Boxing Forward
Dedicated To Lizetta Smith,
And, 41 Lines For Josiah, Aged 41 Years
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We enter our “fight club” as chance selects us,
Huddle there only to talk and laugh.
As usual, Coach Lizetta intervenes by raising a glove,
Followed by our captain, Karen, aka “99”
Shouting, “Listen Up.!”
Silenced to attention, we rivet our sight
On the curling paper taped to the mirror.
Lizetta speaks:
“Today, don’t try to make this out, it’s unreadable,
A cue only for me to call it out
Before you punch it out. Do not pull your trigger
Until you listen to how I pace the call,
Whether it be slow for power, fast for speed,
Some combo of the two. Follow my lead.”
Then,
“I ask that you extend your grace.
My nephew is on a respirator.
I may get a call at any moment to exit class and go.”
She adds,
“I raised him, as if I named him “Son.’”
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Sobered by this, now ready to box,
Forsaking the shape of our own inner angst
We respond to Lizetta’s commands.
One combo at a time,
Through a cumulative repetition,
Lizetta demands we become something finer.
She shapes each person to be in control,
But keeps us a team while achieving this goal.
Are we only in a class, boxing? It seems so Déjà vu:
From a higher power calling the shots,
To our punch back, our speed in response,
To this glade of towering bags, yet another proving ground.
But here is proof so simple, “99” need not shout it out.
We are not our mess. No. We become what we intend,
Utterly composed.
God can step away to attend to Her emergencies.
When we look in the mirror, what do we see?
A man who did the work, a woman ready, and steady.
Breathe. We are in fact the worthy son, worthy daughter,
And in the best sense, human.
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All together we raise our fists and shout, “Resilience!”
!
Steven Golden
March 26th-27th 2026
Green Valley, AZ,
Originally completed at 9:36 AM, March 26th
stevengoldenpoetry 