He stepped to me
Big as a house,
But I knew in his heart
He was small as a mouse.
His daddy got rich
Selling exotic cars,
So, he puffed out his chest,
Like he was the star.
But daddy’s money
Didn’t make him a man,
And his trophy wife mamma
Was busy working her tan.
Then here I come walking,
Pacing myself as I go.
My life was exhausting,
But he didn’t know
What it’s like to commute
Across the class divide,
And work like a dog
While your worlds collide.
No, he didn’t know
And he didn’t care,
But I didn’t mind.
Already knew life ain’t fair.
I was born to a standing
Destined for grease,
But blessed with a mind
To unbend my knees.
I was playing the cards
That were lain on my table.
We are none of us born equal.
We just do what we’re able.
Life had engendered me fortune
And I was trying my best.
All that other noise,
Was better left for the rest.
Say what you will.
Hurl your slurs at me,
Hemmed in by status
While I’m walking free.
I don’t need privilege
To know what I’m worth.
My momma done told me
At home, from her hearth.
Well, nothing intimidates
Like a confident dude.
It so irritates trolls
That they become rude.
So, he said what he said
Trying to get under my skin,
But I just shrugged it off
And he couldn’t win.
Next, he picked up a backpack
To throw at my head.
Well, that crossed a line
And snipped at my thread.
I caught that thing
Straight out of the air.
I questioned his intent
And leveled a stare.
Gone drunk on bravado
He cursed me some more.
Then I tossed back the pack
And put him down on the floor.
I don’t condone violence
As a first option to seed,
But its still a tool in my kit
For whenever I need.
As I charged in that moment
The fear hit his eye,
And I knew in short order
He’d become a pliable guy.
I became an instrument
Of my aggressor’s regret.
You reap what you sow,
And you get what you get.
I sat on his ass
Pinned his face to the tile
Twisted his arm back
And spoke with a smile.
The linoleum was polished
And shiny with wax.
My tone was determined
As I laid out the facts.
Said I, “Don’t be mistaken
If I may seem aloof
I just want peace.
That’s the truth.
You did not think
And now you’re in a bind.
Take this opportunity
For reason to find.
Apologize and promise
To leave me alone
Or test my resolve
To injure your bone.”
I waited a beat
While he stewed in his dread.
Then an old rival strolled by
Sharing “He means what he said.”
Well, that was enough
Because they weren’t friends either.
Good sense hummed back on
Like a logic rebreather.
Mousey’s shoulder was hurting
As he groaned with pain,
But that prep school oaf
Was certainly not insane.
He nodded his assent,
And so, to his promise I said then,
“Okay, but go back on your word,
And we’ll do this again.”
When I think back on it now
My old rival stands out.
His words of foreboding
Removed any doubt.
If I could turn him
To freely back my play,
Then I must be for real.
Best to heed what I say.
I don’t want to fight,
But I’m good at it though,
And this weight on my conscience
Goes wherever I go.
My father once told me
“We make our own beds,
And you cannot foresee
What goes on in men’s heads.
Choose your battles
With sufficient discretion.
Cavalier agitators may find,
That they end in aggression.”
After I let that dope up
And he staggered away,
I took a few deep breaths
To let the tension allay.
I looked out the window
As leaves rustled in trees,
While watching my rage
Drift away with the breeze.
That day had been pleasant
With a blue skied scene,
And after that little hiccup,
It returned to serene.
