$500 and a Concussion

Back at the
Breezy Palms Motel
Swamp cooler rattles,
I close my eyes,
Bed revolves
and dips.

Four hours ago
I fought
            what may be my last fight.
Thirty five years old,
Another concussion
            another scar on my brow
Earned me five hundred dollars
            minus expenses.

-Written in the early morning hours of May 4, 2000, after fighting twice that night on an Indian reservation outside of Fresno. I knocked out 6’4”, 280 pound Joe Campanella in 24 seconds, then took a pretty good beating from 6’10”, 290 pound Gan McGee in the  second bout.

-Originally published in JAMA 08/07/2007.