If you have a minute and are inclined to read some of my writing, please head over to Urbis to review “A Snow Falls.” Your reviews and comments could really help me out as I whip that puppy into shape for further submissions.
This is a rough draft of an idea I have had for a while. The Gomez/Gatti fight tonight finally inspired me to get it down. It needs work, but I thought I would share it. I might try to work something up to be a short story with a similar idea.
Gloves Off
July 2007
Jab. Jab. Right cross.
Gomez swings and punishes Gatti
For the glory. Ultra slow-motion
Captures brutality in crystal clarity.
A century ago, it was only blurs in an ashcan.
I’ve called my father and given him the heads-up.
I see him in that underwater squiggle
Making feints and small swings. His own
Miniature fight taking place in the
Livingroom of a house, close with the
Summer heat.
We both watch the weight of history fill
Gomez’s gloves. The mass of each blow
Shriveling the warrior, Gatti. It is a
Shared moment of violence
Crossing hundreds of miles in the time
Between the bell and the blood.
I used to hate boxing. I laughed at my
Father’s intense and rapt attention to
Foreman and Tyson crawling out of
Poverty through the ring. An alpha and omega
Of success.
Now. I am the one who makes sure to be
Around the TV. Now. I am the one who
Pesters him with the Question of the
Best “pound-for-pound.” We have found a
Commonality, or I have found it.
Moments conceived in sweat and exhaustion
Become family memories.
Could be that I am older, aware of the
Brutality of the world. Maybe now I know
How hard it has been for him. Maybe you
Have to take a punch to understand.
The bell rings and the round ends. The judges
Make their decision. My father and I stand
Together in awe as the decision comes
Down.
Last night, I went over to my buddy Justin’s house and we played through most of the Wii Sports games. Even my wife got into it, though she’s usually not much for video games. It probably didn’t hurt that she was striking me out right and left in Baseball and beat Justin in golf. We had a good time around the machine. It certainly made for conversation and excitement. I guess the commercials are pretty straight on.
With Guitar Hero, the Wii, and all this stuff On Demand, I seldom make time to write. I shared a story recently with a friend of mine. His response was extremely positive. That, in addition to some interesting new ideas, has really gotten my writing jones kicking up. I just need to make the time.
Speaking of time, several folks at work are instituting the GTD way of doing things. I normally poo-poo these organizational “religions,” but folks are having success with this. It might the thing that helps me set aside time to write. My goal is to have something published in the next year. Obviously, doing that with a novel is a huge challenge, but a short story is not completely out of the realm of possibility. I have one right now that I think is publish-worthy and another that needs a rewrite to get there. A few more complete stories and the odds are good that some literary journal might publish one.
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