Dallas "Blackjack" Price, circa 1917

Sweat covers his body,

forms dark stains on

satin trunks,

a sheen on

red leather gloves.

Years of training

in stale smelling gyms

prepare him for

fights that

test his foundation.

He shuffles forward,

posing,

moving,

punching.

Sweat drips pink

over scarred eyelids

to taut canvas.

He draws from a well

deep inside,

where more than sweat flows.

Dennis Price