AISLE 5
I took a deep breath, maintained my composure.
I’m supposed to set an example after all,
twenty five years of this and more.
Belt gone from black to tattered strips of white
and not from being the Karate Kid.
I thought, “Why waste the time?”
“Strength without gentleness and humility
is the strength of fools and cowards.”
That’s what Sensei always said, and I’ve
tried hard to live by it.
You probably don’t have health insurance anyway.
Your inability to hold my gaze gave you away
it’s all in the eyes, my friend.
You’re like that on sale laundry detergent
down in Aisle 5, promising a better look and
a removal of tough stains.
But when your true colors come out
in the wash, you still look the same.
Take the swagger somewhere else
it’s your lucky day.
Be grateful for Obamacares computer glitch and
my resolve to be a nice guy.
I’ve met clowns like you all my life.
When the doorbell rings, there’s no one home, and
when I call you to answer, you put me on hold.
That’s right. You know it.
Your eyes give you away. “Why waste the time?”
Tough guy wannabes. A dozen for a dime.
I was born across the bridge from Boston, Massachusetts, in Cambridge, as July 4th fireworks exploded over the Charles River, just a stone’s throw from Harvard University. At age two, my family moved to Somerville, Ma.,where I was raised in a rough blue-collar environment, playing many sports. In 1998 I relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada. Here, I work among special needs children and teach martial arts. Poetry began in high school, but took off in a more dedicated way in later years, along with resuming music studies, guitar. My poems are published in various anthologies; including Impressions, Prism, and the Mighty Voices Of Thunder Series, sponsored by the international poetry website, “Allpoetry.” I was a featured poet in Lyrical Somerville February 2015, a Boston based publication, as well as being an “Editor’s Front Page Pick,” for the month of March 2016 on Allpoetry. A defining moment that contributed significantly to further interest in writing was a First Place Award from the International Poetry Fellowship, for my poem, “Among Fields of Cotton.” Presently, I am happy to have the opportunity to explore various forms of poetry with Mr. Bruce Isaacson, Poet Laureate of Clark County Nevada.