I've Never Owned a Gun

I've never owned a gun.

Pen slices dice

as well as a razor would

an overripe tomato.

Words, wit, whittle

b*****d's into shape,

knickknacks out of louts.

Cross me at your own peril.

I'm never quick forgetting

slights imaginary or real,

waiting for midnight

to shift the shiv

pare myself some flesh

settling old scores.

My anger is my comfort, 

for it is natural and right,

the strength of conviction

of the hard-knock lessons learned

across the tracks

where b*****d's not a dirty word--

just the price of admission.

Ken e Bujold

2022

Reviews

[John the Baptist]

And here all these years I've thought Canadians were so polite.

[Ken e Bujold]

we are John, but behind that politeness is one hell of a bite :)

[Fabian G. Franklin]

I've owned guns since I was big enough to walk. I've hunted for food and shot for sport, skeet shooting. But I've never used any sort of weapon to settle a personal grudge. I have been in a few fist fights. It has been said that the pen is mightier than the sword. But I wouldn't advise it as a choice of weapon against a better armed opponent. Like Carol King wrote in Smackwater Jack, "You can't talk to a man with a shotgun in his hand." But words should always be our first choice to resolve our differences. They don't always work though which is why soldiers and police officers carry guns.

[Ken e Bujold]

true Fabian. Guns here are not as widely available, not as deeply ingrained in our dna. As for words, let me assure you in certain circles they are far more lethal than any gun you might want to bring to the table. I have seen and participated in a few pen fights at the ok corral in my time, and the board floor is as bloody as bloody can be when the smoke clears

[Fabian G. Franklin]

I have heard that heads can roll in those board meetings. Dr. Guillotin would be proud his device has been relegated to painful pronouncements rather than painless death, I'm sure.

[Gee]

If only all scores could be settled with the pen, what a safer world we would live in.
Memo to self, do not upset Ken?
Enjoyed your words Ken

[Ken e Bujold]

well Gee, these days it takes an awful lot of poking and provoking to get a rise out of me. Age, my friend, doesn't so much mellow you as it does provide the wisdom, most irritants are not worth going to war over. :)

[Kaye]

I'm never quick forgetting
slights imaginary or real,
waiting for midnight

Amazing wording here, this whole poem is wonderful.
Guns scare me a lot, I had one pointed at me once, I was fearful for my life.
you know what words hurt even deeper I think. It can leave a scar.
I enjoyed your write

[Ken e Bujold]

thank you Kaye for the review, glad you enjoyed the poem. Guns are vile. Words are tools, they can hurt, but they can also defend

[Chris Shaw]

If only all scores were settled by words and not guns. I have to say guns scare the life out of me but then so do knives and we have plenty of knife crime in this small island of ours. I enjoyed this poem and the thoughts it generated. Reminded me how much words can hurt. Remembered long after the attack.

Chris

[Ken e Bujold]

I share your sentiment about guns Chris, vile creatures. And words can indeed wound, which is sometimes their strength. I grew up in a tough neighborhood, learned to fight, but also learned early that the best way to shut a b*****d up was to show the world how f'n clueless he really was.

[Chris Shaw]

Ha, so sharp are words and so fitting they are used to deliver a knock out :)

[W. Barrett Munn]

I like this, Ken. It has a revelatory feel to it as I read. I like that it is stripped to the bone and makes me dig for understanding because that takes me deeper into the revelation. Nice work.

Winston

[Ken e Bujold]

thanks W. This was a bit of itch, that took parts of 3 weeks to write, different sections of what was at first entirely separate poems combined

[W. Barrett Munn]

Interesting. I can't recall combing any but I've certainly stolen for one for another.