Playing Fair and Being Kind

Don’t Linger

You enter the arena,
Catching sight of the plaintiff you
Shift your posture,
Begin to exaggerate your walk,
Longer bouncing steps with
Arms swinging, your face
Grinning to taunt.

The beast in watchful repose,
Eyes focused and tracking,
Body poised,
Belying coiled energy,
Wanting to spring and kill,
Not right now,
Not this place and time.

Head low on shoulders
Turned on massive form to see you,
You an interruption,
Eyes and brain diagnose,
Measure your position, distance,
Sizing up the situation,
Arms and legs tense.

Able to hurl murder
Across the distance to capture
And kill gruesomely,
The beast knows,
Is taunted but holds fast,
The eyes say it all,
Don’t linger.

George Goodwin
September 2013