Member-only story
Knocked Out & Shadow Boxing
Extractions and distractions
I saw a photograph of Muhammed Ali’s right fist
in a magazine — life-size.
Imagined it wrapped in a glove
at the end of an arm whose muscles
were trained to drive it with force
towards another body, a head.
I’d be knocked out instantly.
Face swollen, jaw numb
Keeping eyes closed —
as they tug wisdom teeth from my skull.
Inhaling nitrous oxide
One more to go — somebody spoke
—and I went into a dream.
Floating down the hall
back to the waiting room
where I’d spent almost an hour
with dwindling patience.
With patients in pain
subjected to the daytime television jabs
—the one-two combination
of news-entertainment.
Microphones and teleprompters
in front of politicians
with sign-holding crowds for backdrops.
30 seconds of Nike Pepsi L’Oreal
Verizon Netflix, M&Ms dancing
—BMW sharp turns on a country road.
Rinvoq…
