BULLY

Armed with only a theodolite
for a mind,
he goes out into the world
to measure up his fellows.
All that lies inside is ugliness,
and in order to live with that
he makes it his virtue,
must pass it on
to all those he thinks
are smaller than himself.
He would rather see his own fear
in the eyes of others.
But, from the moment
that they run off
and leave him to his own devices,
he faces yet again
the background persistence
of his awful hunger.
The best victims are those trapped
in the daily round.
Then he sets them up
as stepping-stones
to help him over the dark waters,
to keep going
from one troubled sleep
to the next.
Look at him then
through binoculars turned
the wrong way round.
You will see his natural size.

Early piece, published in 'One Small Stride'

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