Cognitive Function

by James Lilley

Our brains, I’m told, start to shrink in our late thirties
as I’m hit for seventeenth time 
by my opponent the world pound for pound 
no one.
I pay it no mind, excuse the pun, as a left hook 
finds home on my temples
stiffening my legs.
For the damage suffered in my youth,
I don’t need to worry about yet
for when I age I’ll fuss and fret 
about the destruction of my cognitive function
or maybe. I’ll just forget. 

James Lilley is a professional bareknuckle fighter from Swansea, Wales. He is currently signed with BKFC and has had close to 100 poems published across various Zines including Versification, Punk Noir Magazine, A Thin Slice of Anxiety, Skway Journal, Black Bough Poetry and many others. He currently has two collections A Thousand Ghosts of You and The Blue Hour available with a third collection The Warrior Poet due in early 2024.