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Meditations of An Offensive Lineman

MEDITATIONS OF AN 
OFFENSIVE LINEMAN

I am the essence 
of patience and method
No reckless trash talk; I never
say a word
I am John Henry, harder,
A hammer on your bones driving
spikes through your soul and
your disintegrating self esteem

We have a chunky young
tailback who dances through
turbulence like light through the
trees in a storm borne by wind
When he runs with me,
you’re never there

Elevating your game is just wasting
your time
I am the tiger in the grass by the river
of your demise
Too late you comprehend the aesthetics
of my violence, the pattern of my stripes,
the curve of my teeth, the savage nuance 
of my mayhem
Go ahead, fight me if you must
but my arrival is always fatal

Copyright © Emanuel Carter

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Book: Reflection on the Important Things