temper mental

let's make a case for the bitter dispute
think of shaking fists and high blood pressure
when you walk out of the room disgusted with
yourself or the person with whom you shared it

eye rolling, sarcasm drenched dispute
fighting like children when the facts run out
and all that's left is attacks on the enemy's person
picking at flaws like scabbed-over wounds

man to man hand to hand dispute
but not like the old days when the hand was empty
the fights that never end until everyone is dead
from inner city streets to old west towns

quickly escalating mob mentality dispute
when they think you are wrong and there is strength
in the numbers of knives they throw at your character
or intelligence or experience or reason

large scale faceless victim dispute
or the euphemistically named "police action"
at odds with the people, the country, the world
expecting them to lie down when the bombs stop falling

apply a higher standard to your next dispute
so that like all good battles, if it can't be over
something worth fighting for at least it can be over
with something less than feelings or people hurt

May 2, 2004
Manic