WAVE FIGHTER
a poem
I wade arrogantly into the spray
like an over confident fighter,
puffing out my chest
as if to goad this unknown opponent.
……………………………………………………….
As soon as the bell rings, a haymaker lands on my jaw
and salted naivety drains from my nose,
but I get straight up, and smirk it off.
“Sucker punch” I mutter, as I shake off the foam.
……………………………………………………….
With little new found caution,
I side step one, and jab through another.
I turn again and am pummeled with an uppercut
and am momentarily stunned, but have no time to rebound.
……………………………………………………….
A right, then a left.
I lower my head to face him head on.
I swing blindly,
whilst trying to wipe his spit from my eyes.
……………………………………………………….
Either he is growing with each punch
or pound for pound, I am out of my depth.
There is fight left in this brawler yet, though.
I weave, I dodge and glance up beyond my sodden fists.
Doubled in size, he suddenly towers above me,
and I see certain annihilation about to descend.
……………………………………………………….
Instinct takes over and I dive,
kicking furiously to escape the avalanche.
Under him, I feel the weight of his punch
as it crashes like a demolished building onto my feet,
before they slip through to freedom.
……………………………………………………….
I propel myself up and gratefully gasp for air,
but he is not done, not by a long shot.
The first being a decoy, he thunders all of his fury down
and I am out. Gone. Decimated.
……………………………………………………….
Round, down and twisted I go,
like a limp and torn rag doll,
not knowing my up from my down,
left from my right.
I try to find air, but he pulls my legs down,
determined to drown all arrogance from my lungs.
……………………………………………………….
I feel the ground for a split second and push off.
Finding air, I breathe in with a wild roar of desperation.
Punch drunk and pride stung, I spin around
“Is that all you’ve got?” I scream.
……………………………………………………….
He laps gently at my legs, grins and retreats.
Out for the count, my knees give way
And I find myself slumped, in the shallows,
spitting out salt and thanking the referee upstairs that I am alive.
……………………………………………………….
No more. You win.
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zajebiscie 🙌