(Tag: Lavender Granola Switchblade Nun as Sugar Ray Robinson, Pound-for-Pound the Greatest. Elegy for the Word Garden Blog.)
Sugar Ray, Sugar Ray,
when sweat exploded
across the ring,
were those bright drops poems, or
cockatiels, or exile?
Sugar Ray, Sugar Ray,
as your punches echoed
from the rafters
we felt each steam-driven word,
lines jabbing like pistons.
Sweet Science, Sugar Ray,
Sweet Science.
Was it honey or blood we tasted
at the end of your gloves,
were they horseshoes or velvet?
Emily your cornerman in ‘52,
no shame throwing in the towel
collapsing after 13 rounds
in the Garden’s 103 heat.
Eden is a tough kitchen.
In the clench and clasp
what did you whisper in our ears?
What light did you shatter
before the KO
Sugar Ray, Sugar Ray.
qbit 
So well penned, qbit. I especially admire the first stanza.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Excellent! Like Sherry, I love that first stanza!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!!
LikeLike
Biff! Pow! Wham! Oh wait, that’s the guy in a cape and costume. No matter! I see myself as more sugar pea than Sugar Ray but when I put on the gloves, er, take up my keyboard, I do try to float like a butterfly, sting like a bee! Wait, that was Ali! I’ll have to brush up on boxing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ali was the greatest, but Sugar Ray was even greater. And hey, “Ray” rhymes with “Shay!” Biff, Pow! Wham! Holy fireblossom!
LikeLiked by 1 person
There’s two professional boxers I know one is sugar ray leonard or sugar ray robinson. Either way, your poem is so well written. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person