Muhammed Ali
by Zaid Zuhair, Haileybury
Finalist, Years 7 – 8, written poetry
It was a time of division
It was black and white
An unbalanced position
A time to stand for right
One young boy
Knew this was not fair
Where was the joy?
When caught in a snare
A day came, he was riding his bike
Came back it was gone
Vanished from sight
Went to a policeman, who saw in him fight
A suggestion was made: ‘Learn how to box’
The man cared not about his colour of skin
With this he wasn’t held by chain or locks
And so he trained at the policeman’s gym
And so he trained
By spar and strike
Always up early, he was quick and light
He had his victory, day and night
Then a time came to look for new goals
Turn to the Olympics, for your boxing skill
The audience will come in many shoals
Give them a fight that leaves them still
Through years of boxing, the champion reigned
Fight after fight, he conquered and won
With a career of fortune and fame
Then came the day, war had begun
From fighting with fist to fighting with word
“I float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”
Standing for those whose voice was not heard
We should try to be like Muhammad Ali.
Want to read more poems? Explore the other Years 7 – 8 finalists.