Joey Cloudy online

“I Predict Pain”

-Clubber Lang

I’d been training hard every day for a year

and had bruised the ribs of Marines twice

the size of the tall drink of water in the opposite 

corner.  Figured I’d punch a hole through this

skinny kid from New York.  My corner man

tells me to be careful “ the kids a golden gloves

featherweight champion.”  I ain’t impressed.

I’m five feet six inches tall and I only weigh in

at one hundred and forty pounds.  But, I can bench

press two hundred and eighty five pounds.  

And I am fast, this is going to hurt him a lot 

more than it’s gonna hurt me.

then we’re at it.  He’s quick tapping me

with left jabs.  I can take it.  I don’t care.

He’s using his reach to keep me from closing.

Fuck it.  I charge him.  Slam my shoulder

into him like a linebacker tackling a wide receiver.

I wrap him up and sling him into the ropes.

Now that I got him in my office, I go to work

pounding his gut.  But, this ain’t his first rodeo.

The kids tougher than he looks.  

I guess that makes two of us.  

The kid dances off the ropes.

He keeps jabbing me with that long left of his.

I can take it.  But, this is a set up.

He’s been watching my combos, 

measuring his reach with that left.

I never see the right hook coming.

I just woke up flat on my back

wondering what the kid with the golden gloves 

was doing up there in all of that cerulean.         

1/10/2008 4:26:24 PM