Everyday Poets 4: Matthew Bassein

Growing Up

by Matthew Bassein

i was the quiet kid
He was the loud mouth
i had a stutter, and a lisp
He always spoke eloquently

i hated him
He loved me
i always fought with him
He was bigger, he would win

i thought he was better than me
He thought so too
i wanted to be like him, i wanted to be better than him
He didn’t care. It killed me

I wasn’t a kid the last time we had a fight
He didn’t know that

He was angry, he always was
I said mean things that I could never take back
He punched me in the face
I tackled him to the ground

He slammed his fists into anything he could
I took my time
He made sure he left reminders swelled under my skin
I grabbed his neck and locked my arm across his throat

he couldn’t breathe
I felt his elbow in my gut, his fingernails digging into my skin
he wanted to scream, rasps came out
I didn’t care.