Fourth Grade Fights that Mimic Brawls

by Fred Aiken

sometimes innocence looks like a fight

that breaks out inside a classroom,

as each kid awkwardly throws their barely developed limbs

around as an expression of friendship, or confusion, or possibly anger,

but then again, what does a nine year old have to be angry about?

before the perfect punch lands

and i end up bleeding from my nose,

a spigot turns on, and i can’t seem to stop the infinite hemorrhaging