Standing

I’ve never been in a fight;
Not the real kind
Where you want to hurt a guy
You might get damaged by:
A fact that one could find
A little peculiar, right?

If I could pull some strings
And have myself remade
As someone with the guts…
Of all the sorry thoughts
A thinker’s ever had.
Among the primal things

A god could not undo
Is a wont to run away.
Were a son of mine to come
Under a bully’s thumb,
I’d know the words to say,
But lack the standing to.

• About
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Daniel Brown

Daniel Brown’s poems have appeared in Poetry, Raritan, PN Review, The Hopkins Review and other journals. His two collections are Taking the Occasion (winner of the New Criterion Poetry Prize) and What More?.

Also by Daniel Brown (see all)

• A Bumblebee of a Book - May 29, 2021
• Sustenance - February 23, 2021
• Case Study - February 23, 2021

Author: Daniel Brown

Daniel Brown’s poems have appeared in Poetry, Raritan, PN Review, The Hopkins Review and other journals. His two collections are Taking the Occasion (winner of the New Criterion Poetry Prize) and What More?. View all posts by Daniel Brown