David Green

David Green (Books) is the imprint under which I publish booklets of my own poems, or did. The 'Collected Poems' are now available as a pdf. The website is now what it has become. It keeps me out of more trouble than it gets me into. I hope you find at least some of it worthwhile.

Sunday 5 June 2016

The Poetry of Muhammad Ali

The tributes to Muhammad Ali have been welcome, not only to show how universally respected he was as an outspoken campaigner for reform, to say the least, but for the litany of memorable quotes. Among all the other things he was, he was a poet, too.
Of Henry Cooper, he said,
Henry hit me so hard that my ancestors felt it in Africa.  

Having lured George Foreman into punching himself out and getting 'tired', he reflected,
Man, this is the wrong place to get tired.

There are many, many more, but perhaps the best was when he was outdone by a flight attendant who asked him to fasten his seal belt.
Superman don't need no seatbelt, said Ali.
Mr Ali, said the flight attendant, Superman don't need no plane.