He floated like a butterfly,
Stang like a bee –
The one and only
Muhammad Ali.
“I’m The Greatest”, he always said,
20th Century Sports Personality,
Put his rivals to bed.

Yes, he WAS the Greatest, that’s for sure.
Above the rest by a massive score.
Faster than a hummingbird,
Slicker than a snake,
Those quick hands of his
They made opponents quake.

He’d get into bed
Before the light went out.
Rarely a whisper,
Usually a shout.

Like a long-distance runner
Ali had the endurance.
Anyone who fought him
Needed lots of insurance.

Ali was great and didn’t he know it.
A witty speaker and amusing poet.
Some of his lines I’ve used right here:
They had his rivals shaking with fear.

No way would Ali fight the Viet Cong.
For that he merits a Nobel Gong.
He was the champion of the oppressed,
A hero with whom we all were blessed.

He had charisma, way beyond sport.
Ali influenced our every thought.
He’ll call into Hell on the way to Heaven,
To knock out Satan, in round seven.

Paul Butters

To know just where your're going

You must know where you've been

You must respect the history

The things others have seen

It's true in all things relative

Be it music, sports or life

If you don't know where you came from

You're just dancing on a knife

Gherig, Ruth and Robinson

May, and Mantle, Seaver too

Respect their contributions

And don't just say Ruth who?

Respect where things have come from

And the players of the past

Because you learn and make things better

It's what makes the **** game last

Jimmy Foxx, Bob Gibson, Kaline

Nestor Chylak and The Goose

They made baseball special

They gave the game a little juice

Orr, Richard and Gretzky

Gordie Howe and Howie Morenz

You have to know about them

You need the beginning to your ends

Bob Baun and Bill Barilko

Connie Smythe and yeah...the Chief

You have to know their history

They're what it is to be a Leaf

The game has changed immensely

Things can not go back in time

But to me...the old alumni

Made the game I know as mine

Respect the ones before you

The ones who laid the groundwork down

The ones who made it special

The non-pretenders to the crown

Elvis, Buddy, Harrison

Played the songs inside their heart

Lennon, Wilson and the rest

They all played a real big part

Every single generation

should learn from the one before

For if they don't know where they've come from

Then what has it all been for?

Nicklaus, Palmer, Bobby Jones

Sarazen and Hogan too

They pushed the gameright to it's limits

Now the pressure's upon you

The new breed are the teachers now

They're the ones to lead the way

When twenty or so years from now

You'll hear somebody say

"Respect who came before you

The ones who made us so **** proud

LIke  Nash and , Perry and  Taylor Hall

They played the game so loud

Pudge, Jeter, and Verlander

they brought it up a notch

They were there to stretch the limits

Not to just sit by and watch

Rory, Justin Rose and Mahan

Bubba, Dustin and the rest

They are the players of the future

They all respected the games best

So, to know where you are going

You must know where you have been

Respect, past through the future

And all that's happened in between.

How much sport have I missed because of you
why do you wake me up when I want to sleep
you say: 'Come and eat before the food gets cold'
'You don't love me any more,' I've been told

We have to go to the in-laws, the bores
I don't want to go on any more guided tours
you asked me to love you when I was mowing the lawn
all this veggie stuff - I don't like quorn

I was only joking - don't think it's real
why do I have to struggle thro' too big a meal
how do I look - you never look at my face
your clothes are fine - I know nothing about lace

You say: 'I'm doing it wrong - move your weight'
and I  get a real bollocking if I'm too late

Playing jai alai with my heart
Your throw is amazingly good
Ricochet ****** ***** darts
Atria gushing as it would
Bouncing off wall into never should

I stand here mesmerized
By folly of your play
Leaving me somehow paralyzed
With brutal force you slay
"Hurled out of bounds," as game say

In your court I'm trembling
With sped rebound do I struggle
Propelled to dissembling
Will you hold or will you juggle?
My heart a mere pumping muscle

Davis Cup to Andy Murray,
Oh my God that man can scurry, in a flurry.
Sports Personality on the BBC,
Andy’s the pride of Team GB.

Andy Murray,
Replaced Fred Perry, the past to bury.
(Yet praise he does not curry).
First Wimbledon, then Davis Cup.
Team GB is on the Up.

Paul Butters

Because I reckoned
That playing a game of chess
Against Death was a bit cliché
I decided to challenge him
For a bit of table tennis
Needless to say
With his boney build
And his empty sockets
I soon smashed
His will to live
To pieces
And I’m especially proud
Of my outstanding performance
In the seventh set

Ya Know I'd Rather Be... UNIQUE... !!!
Than Join These... PHONEY Cliques... !!!

Just To Get Acceptance...
From People Who Are SHEEP... !!!

I See Them EVERY WEEK...
From Poetry Circuit CLIQUES...
To Childish... Girlie Cliques...

Who Basically I Have To See...
Throughout My Working Week...

They Look At Me From... FAR............
While I Shine Like A STAR....
WITHOUT A Hint of Arrogance...
Or A FAKE... " Ha Ha "... !!!

These Dummies Make Me Laugh... !!!
They Think They're REALLY SMART... !!!
Until I Simply... BLOW THEM OFF...
Like A.... " SMELLY **** ".... !!!!!

These Girlie Cliques STICK TOGETHER...
Like... Blueberry Tarts... !!!

These Cliques Employ The Good Ol' Ploy...
If You're NOT IN It's Like You've SINNED... ?!?
And Then You're Thrown In... Dusty Bin... !!!

321... While They Have FUN...
BELIEVE ME I'm Just Looking On...
And Wonder... What Is Their Function... !?!

Well From A Work Perspective...
It's Friends Who Get PUSHED ON...
To... UPPER Class Collectives...
Where Futures Are... "PROTECTED"... !!!

And Some of These Are People...
Who YES Have Been... ELECTED... !!!

To Join These... EVIL CLIQUES...
Who Then... "CONTROL Your Week"... ?!?

KEEPING... YOUR Future BLEAK... !!!
While They Are Looking CHIC... !?!

I've Got To Say This People....
They Make Me Feel Like... BLEEP.... !!!

See... EVEN In TOP Sport...
if You Are NOT Their Sort...
Your Chances Get Cut Short...
If You CANNOT Be BOUGHT... !!!

So Just ABSORB That Thought...
People We See In TOP Sport...
Have Got... CLIQUE Type Support...

From People Who Are In THE KNOW...
And See That You WON'T ROCK The Boat... !!!

See.....
Once They KNOW They've Got YOUR VOTE...
Your Boat Fa' SURE Will STAY... AFLOAT...

NOT Because You're TALENTED... !!!
PAY ATTENTION Here's The Quote... !!!

"Maybe we could use that bloke !"

Why Didn't You Laugh... ?
Didn't You Get The JOKE... ?

I Guess I'm NOT FUNNY...
To... CLIQUE Type Folk... !!!

See Cliques Are EVERYWHERE... !!!
From Masons Leather Chairs...
To Friends of... Tony Blair... !!!

Sometimes I Think There Is A Clique...
That... RULES My CRAZY HAIR... !!!

I'm JOKING People Please Don't STARE... !!!
That's What Cliques Do Cos' They're SCARED... !?!

of INDIVIDUALS... Who AREN'T  INTO...
Reading ******...  " Marie Claire "... !!!

Cliques In POWER Are... Political...
Cliques WITHOUT Power Try To Belittle...
OTHERS Cos' They... HATE Themselves... !!!!!

I Believe These Days In Personal Wealth...
Wealth of MIND And Knowledge of SELF... !!!

Cos' Knowledge of SELF...
QUELLS Cliques With STEALTH... !!!!!

Deal YOUR OWN CARDS... !!!
DON'T Take Cards DEALT...
By Cliques Who NEED...
... Their Collars FELT  ... !!!!!

Cliques Are FUNNY...
... "FILLED With DUMMIES"...

Who Should of STAYED In...
... " Mummy's Tummy "... !!!

These Cliques Are REALLY...
FULL of... "SNEAKS"... !!!

From Those Who Used To Walk The Beat...
To KKK Who Wear... " White Sheets "... !!!

It's FUNNY When They're On Their OWN...
They Speak Because Their Cover's BLOWN.... !!!

But When They're With...
Their... "Sneak Filled Cliques"...

Try Talking To THEM When They're IN VIEW...
It's AMAZING HOW They DON'T HEAR You... !?!

That's Why I Spit These Words Like PHLEGM... !!!
Cos' I DON'T Want To Be With... THEM... !!!

So That's Why I've Written This Poetic Piece...
Cos' I'm NOT IN Their... " Flock of Geese "...

I'm HAPPY...  Just To Be UNIQUE...
And NOT Be In Their TWO FACED...

...... " CLIQUES "......

As one who's born in England
There is something I don't know
Exactly what is "cricket" ?
Please tell me so I'll go

Both teams dress in white
The bowler doesn't bowl
He doesn't bend his arm to throw
I don't understand the goal

The ball goes out it scores six runs
But it must go in the air
The ball rolls out it scores four more
Is this really fair?

The games can last for days and days
But what confuses me
Is that every game at four o'clock
The players stop for tea

A game is called a test
But is every test a game
some may last for just one day
The length is not the same

There's a throw they call a googly
I know what that means
I got hit there playing hockey
It ***** your breath so you can't scream

There's wickets and there's bails
mid slips, and those silly stumps
I'm sure that if it confuses me
What does it do to umps?

The biggest question that I have
Besides, what's a sticky wicket?
Is of all the players on the field
Which one of them's the cricket?

Ah go ahead
Throw me the ball of blame
I can hit them strike to shame
but I'd love it better
if you'd just put the sport to rest
and come inside my arms
where you'll feel warm and safe
above all this mess
settles the love we always have