Immortal Andalusia

	
Immortal Andalusia 

the peafowl
digging in the ground
soft, round bodies		
shifting the dirt around

“One died last year” 
when the weather fluctuated 
forty degrees 
(I immediately noted at least three barns; broken as they were, but well insulated—just like bodies in the south) 

the peafowl’s feather is important in Catholicism
the aspiring park ranger added something about Krishna
all while I flipped through the Flannery O’Connor’s Review 
anticipating the ghostly croon of the dead bird 
to accent the names of the contributing writers
all soft, round, and digging
in their chicken wire cage

What was I doing in Milledgeville? 
touching a dead mink, picking up a fifteen pound weight, 
and learning about mosquito hawks

	Flannery wouldn’t have done this
	she had wise blood

Mine was just rolling through 
thick mud
	like a cripple within me
	sauntering
	and drenched in sweat
never to decay like the flesh of a peafowl

Baltimore

	

Baltimore

Set him up
Box him

Bring him in for the right
	Bring him in for the right	
Syncopated grunts
	Clap 
	Clap
	Clap

We need that Floyd
Come on Floyd
	Last round
	We NEED that
You told ‘em
You told ‘em
When was the last time you told them? 
	He hit him every time
COME ON FLOYD
30 seconds bro
	He’s trying now
	He’s gonna get it
FLOYD knows boy

You ain’t get nothing
You ain’t ever got nothing
All your work, the whole world knows your name, and you got nothing. 


10
10 seconds
That’s game. 
\	Game time. 

If they fair
Hes got the W
Doing it the whole fight

Last five. Last Five
Canelo fight, 
Any number of nameless fights forgotten. 

ONLY FIGHT

The wait. It’s the most grueling in sports.
The evaluation. 
67 more punches

Pacquiao 
Was he there? 
PLAN--
Lost it when the fight started. Little flurries of punches scattered like snow were evaded and piled up in the ring. 

America sat. 
(That’s debt
That’s debt)


148 punches. NO WAY 
Crown me
CROWN ME
HE YELLED IT AT ME

I got a bone to pick
DON’T CHEAT US
Still undefeated.	
(I swear I heard STILL I RISE)

Children screamed,
Bets were won, and 
Tavaris lost his shirt; black jesus-- arms spread in my library
	(When did his shirt come off?)
Hugs round. You with FLOYD?
YOU WITH FLOYD
Unanimous 
STILL UNDEFEATED 
He had moments in the fight
I had myself in the pocket
	Tough competitor, my dad, my dad
But Pacquiao too

I never wanted to win a fight as bad as this fight

Was it worth the wait?

When the history book is written world champion

Most likely a good party later tonight. 
Thanks for being here.

Wipe off the mat
(clean the streets)
Tomorrow they’ll say
Mayweather didn’t come to fight and Pacquiao wasn’t aggressive enough. 
The New York Times will ask if boxing is too violent for this day and age. Again. 
And the rest of the no-name boxers are keeping time with their ropes
waiting for the ring to tell us who won.