The Marquis of Queensberry didn't grow up in my neighborhood

In a real fight,
you hit below the belt,
kick a guy when he's down,
knee his groin,
bite scratch pullhair.
It isn't a game.
You find a weakness
and exploit it:
very simple
even if not especially sporting.
It's cheap, unsophisticated,
lowdown,
but it works.

And when you get your ass whipped,
you get up--
if you can--
drag yourself into a gas station bathroom,
clean wounds with gritty soap, cold water,
dry with sandpaper towels,
shrug it off,
or wait,
then sneak up silently on the guy who did it
and smash a two-by-four into his head.

Lee Duke