poem of the day 05.17.13

fights

i have witnessed many fights

amongst the different races

rather i should say i’ve seen more talk than fists

the whites like to get in each other’s face

call each other bitch or dude

they shout a lot but do little else

the blacks aren’t much different

maybe they move more

make dramatic gestures, act hard of hearing

in order to have someone repeat an insult

but it is still a lot of posturing instead of violence

almost everyone makes a threat

the whites tell each other how they’ll kick your ass

the blacks threaten to put each other in the dirt

i don’t know what the mexicans, puerto ricans,

asians, and indians do

maybe nothing

or a combination of this other bullshit

today i was standing outside a boxing club run by arabs

one arab guy shouting at a pack of dudes from the club

it was the same talk

the same posturing

but the one arab guy threatened the blow up the boxing club

the other arab dudes threatened to blow up his house

i know people, the lone arab said

we know people too, the other arabs answered

then there were more threats to blow shit up

cars, buses they ride on, homes, and someone’s hookah joint

and i thought, christ, don’t any of these arab guys watch the news?

this country is just looking to grab arab guys

who want to blow shit up

you could feel the good white citizens on the street

getting hard-ons listening to this shit

dialing 911, their thumbs pressed on send

maybe these arabs should take a cue from the blacks or whites

and not threaten to blow up a city block

especially in public

maybe just go inside and handle it

in the ring

i don’t know

eventually the one arab walked away

and the others stood outside for a bit

talking shit

before they were gone too

nothing got blown up

at least not yet

and i went home to get drunk

and read my new comic books

ready to make idle threats

at all the shadows creeping up the walls.