Going the Distance
© Rommi Smith BBC Artist in Residence for the Commonwealth Games 2002

Inspired by the BBC documentary about Muhammed Ali and the Guardian article about Chris Okoh, the ex Commonwealth Games Boxing champion, turned probation officer. First performed on Mike Shaft's Breakfast Show - 28th May 2002.

Can you see him,
Scaling the mountain, in the ring?
Over the guide ropes,
The horizon of faces
Waiting for beginning.

If you could measure, mile for mile
Or man from man
The shade of tenacity
By the texture of integrity
You, would have a landscape
Of the mirror of eloquence.

A silver-tongued man
Takes off kid gloves
And puts on, poetry
Makes a right hook with triumph
Takes a left jab at setback
His tongue a tinderbox
To spark humanity.

Existence is the weight
Of a sentence, defining titles
Starting the stopwatch
Belief is a poster on a bedroom wall;
The headline, the airwave, the interview
That captures an icon
Turns the light on.

Can you picture knockout
Without the intention of fists
But the statement of kudos.

You would understand
This feeling, of both feet, not at summit
But en route of meaning.
Of looking back to see how far
You've come, knowing
You're still, momentarily
Before heading for something.