Hate from the Supermarket
Hit.
Hit her hard on her soft behind.
(Hit that child again and I will—)
Drag.
Drag
her through the store aisles by her skinny arm.
(If I hear her cry "Mommy, no!" again—)
Stomp.
(If I hear her cry "Mommy, no!" again—)
Stomp.
Stomp your foot like you are younger than she is.
(If you tell her you hate her just one more time—)
Rush.
(If you tell her you hate her just one more time—)
Rush.
Rush to your car, push her in, slam the door.
(If I'd confronted you it might have stopped you from backhanding her.)
(If I'd confronted you it might have stopped you from backhanding her.)
Leave.
You leave the parking lot.
You leave the parking lot.
(My smartphone is heavy in my pocket, 9-1-1
so hard to dial.)
Michael A. Griffith
Michael A. Griffith’s chapbooks Bloodline
(The Blue Nib Imprint) and Exposed (Soma Publishing and Hidden Constellation
Press) were released in fall 2018. He was nominated for the Pushcart Prize for
poetry in October 2018 for his poem “Bloodline,” which first appeared on Ariel
Chart. He lives near Princeton, NJ and teaches at Raritan Valley Community
College. He is Poetry Editor (US/Canada) for The Blue Nib.
https://twitter.com/AuthorMGriffith
https://michaelgriffithwordpress.wordpress.com
Tags:
Poetry