So I wrote this poem after the results of the election, and I wanted to try and write a poem about everything. What I was trying to do was draw on ideas of Trump being president, and the effect that it might have and how people said they would respond to it. The piece was kind of experimental the way I tried to make things weird and jarring, and I'm not sure how I feel about how it turned out. Either way I hope it's entertaining.

Boxing Match

Every four years they hold a boxing match

and the winner becomes the national mascot.

It’s a very important position

that is coveted by many people

but few have enough training to meet the requirements.

People talk about the fight for months before it happens,

they debate on their training,

the constitution of their body,

their stance in the ring,

all kinds of variables and aspects

that are debated and considered.

It was early November and the fight was beginning.

I was at college and went to see the fight

that they broadcasted on the big screen.

In one corner was a woman for the first time in history.

She was noted by experts for her tight stance,

her movement on the floor,

the stamina she possessed,

and the way she threw her punches.

She was discredited though for her methods of training.

Experts wondered how much she trained,

whether she was fit enough to be a mascot,

her opponent claimed that she was taking steroids,

and while experts denied this in any way

people came to believe it.

In the other corner sat a man

who was a pretty boy more than anything.

He lacked any kind of training

and was never seen in the gym before.

He posed for pictures

talking smack about his opponent,

and while he clearly didn’t have the stamina

he was the crowd favorite for a lot of men

who said it was too soon to have a woman for a mascot.

I sat down with my friends

clutching our bags of popcorn,

eager for the fight to start.

Whoever won the fight was the mascot,

and the mascot was who lead the people.

They were the ones who led the people

through times of hardship and strife

It began just as the experts predicted,

they said that she would take the lead

and from there she would have him out of breath

before eleven o’clock.

There was concern that the pretty boy

wouldn’t be up to the task,

and that he would somehow still win.

He wasn’t the type to lead,

he was arrogant and a bigot.

He lacked restraint

and he lacked experience.

He treated woman with disrespect,

talking trash about anyone he could

just because he could.

And some people liked that.

As we watched the two exchange blows

we began to realize

that the tide was turning.

People’s faces began to turn,

they grew concerned

as she took hit,

after hit,

after hit,

and then she fell.

There was an uproar,

people shouting to get up

1

People shouted not to worry,

that she would take a stand

2

Woman stood up and shouted,

they beat their breasts in a war cry

hoping it would give her strength

3

People began to pray,

hoping for some kind of deliverance.

The referee blew his whistle and slammed his hand on the ground

The fight was over

Everyone went home

People were scared,

that’s when it hit me

The next day we all talked

about what had happened

about how we felt.

Woman talked about how they were in danger

about how men felt more free

they cited their new mascot

and said that this was their nation now

and that they were the ones in charge.

They talked about where they would go

What they would do

Some proposed a petition for the referee

to take back their call.

A few argued that the fight was rigged.

Most thought about running away.

They talked about all the woman coming together

Sailing away to their own islands

Where they would wait out the storm in peace

Building communes

Living together,

Working together.

And if things got better

then they would come back.

That was the favored plan

But I didn’t know what to do

I often didn’t

so i listened to people

talk about what was happening.