Poetry by Muhammad Ali

By request, here are a few poems by Muhammad Ali--whose spoken word was as poetic as his boxing. The tone of his poetry ranges from lighthearted to serious ("Freedom" was written after the 1971 Attica prison riots and the death of 43 people). Check out this interview with Sonia Sanchez and Adrian Matejka about the poetry of Muhammad Ali.

The Truth
by Muhammad Ali

The face of truth is open,
The eyes of truth are bright,
The lips of truth are ever closed,
The head of truth is upright.

The breast of truth stands forward,
The gaze of truth is straight,
Truth has neither fear nor doubt,
Truth has patience to wait.

The words of truth are touching,
The voice of truth is deep,
The law of truth is simple:
All that you sow you reap.

The soul of truth is flaming,
The heart of truth is warm,
The mind of truth is clear,
And firm through rain or storm.

Facts are but its shadows,
Truth stands above all sin;
Great be the battle in life,
Truth in the end shall win.

The image of truth is Christ,
Wisdom's message its rod;
Sign of truth is the cross,
Soul of truth is God.

Life of truth is eternal,
Immortal is its past,
Power of truth will endure,
Truth shall hold to the last.

***

Freedom 
by Muhammad Ali

Better far—from all I see—
To die fighting to be free
What more fitting end could be?

Better surely than in some bed
Where in broken health I'm led
Lingering until I'm dead.

Better than with prayers and pleas
Or in the clutch of some disease
Wasting slowly by degrees.

Better than a heart attack
or some dose of drug I lack;
Let me die by being black.

Better far that I should go;
Standing here against the foe
Is the sweeter death to know.

Better than the bloody stain
on some highway where I'm lain
Torn by flying glass and pane.

Better calling death to come
than to die another dumb,
muted victim in the slum.

Better than this prison rot;
if there's any choice I've got,
Kill me here on the spot.

Better for my fight to wage
Now while my blood boils with rage,
Less it cool with ancient age.

Better violent for us to die
Than to Uncle Tom and try
Making peace just to live a lie.

Better now that I say my sooth;
I'm gonna die demanding Truth
While I'm still akin to youth.

Better now than later on
Now that fear of death is gone.
Never mind another dawn.


***

I am America.
I am the part you won't recognize.
But get used to me:
Black, confident, cocky.
My name, not yours.
My religion, not yours.
My goals, my own.
Get used to me.
—Muhammad Ali

***

You think the world was shocked when Nixon resigned? 
Wait 'til I whup George Foreman's behind. 
Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. 
His hand can't hit what his eyes can't see. 
Now you see me, now you don't. 
George thinks he will, but I know he won't. 
I done wrassled with an alligator, 
I done tussled with a whale. 
Only last week I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalized a brick. 
I'm so mean, I make medicine sick.

—Muhammad Ali




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