It didn’t seem like much

            At first –

            The placement of the ball

            An inch or so behind the line,

            Which really wasn’t fair:

            He got what he deserved

            But Anthony, my friend,

            Took things a bit too far

            He said he wouldn’t let Jake up

            Until he begged for mercy, 

            Which he did about a half a dozen times

            But had to take another half a dozen

            Punches on the ground

            Naturally we laughed

            And soon it was too dark to play

            So we went home

            Later that night we heard

            Jake beat his younger sister to a pulp

            And with a bunch of other guys

            Outside the neighbourhood

            Jumped Anthony and

            Broke his two front teeth

            My father told me

            Not to get involved

            That didn’t make much sense

            I kept my head down low

            And let things settle for a while

            And picked my time:

            I had it all planned out

            And didn’t tell a soul

            Because the playground wasn’t safe just yet

            I hung around the school one afternoon

            Jake’s sister spotted me and 

            Asked me why I had my hockey stick

            In summertime

            It was kinda hard to talk to her,

            Especially when she said

            That she and Anthony

            Had broken up for good

            When she came back from where she went

            To get away

            Her brother strutted by

            And if she weren’t there

            I would have done what I set out to do,

            For not just one

            Instead I squeezed my hands around the blade

            And kept my eyes on Janice as he passed

            She told me she was half to blame

            And that he’d never touch a hair of her again

            Unless he wanted to be dead – that’s what

            Their father vowed 

            After he nearly broke his nose

            Anthony, my friend, was toothless for a time,

            A badge of honour

            Seeing that it took a gang

            To do him in and that he never even

            Tried to run

            Teeth or not, the girls

            Just couldn’t get enough of him

            Except for Janice

            Who confessed she’d had a bit too much

            I didn’t need or want to ask 

            As we walked home

            We got to know each other pretty well

            That summer, Jan and I

            Her voice, despite the trouble

            For a girl so young,

            Was always easy on the ear,

            A cooling stream that 

            Took the heat and sting

            Out of revenge –

            And envy