Repetition

Repetition by Edmund Siejka In the window He caught a glimpse of his reflected face Pale from being indoors Day after day. Something made him think about Way back when Was it the smell of cheap food? Or a sudden bell like noise? That brought him back To school And a Tough kid named Joey. One day during recess he felt someone behind him Turning he saw Joey’s clenched fist Aimed at his face Grinning, he said “I could punch you Tommy and no one would care.” Instinctively, he pushed the fist away The teacher on yard duty noticed something wrong And asked why he did that She explained that sort of behavior would not be tolerated And angrily wrote a note to his parents. His mother was upset, “Tommy why did you do that?” His father lectured him about fighting in school. That night he couldn’t sleep Feeling a weight on his chest But he remembered what his grandmother Taught him And heard her voice gently telling him “Let it go, let it go.” Slowly breathing in and out he closed his eyes, Repeating the words over and over Reaching a deep sleep And in the morning, the memory of it was really nothing at all. A few years later Joey, a head taller and heavier, Was on the high school football team The two would occasionally exchange nods Changing classes But nothing more than that. One late afternoon as he was leaving school Some rough boys, not from the neighborhood, Pushed him, knocking his books to the ground. Words were said Threats made And then suddenly A shadow hovered over the group. Joey had just finished football practice Hand curled in a fist, he said “I could beat all of you and no one would care.” When the boys left Joey spoke to him “Tommy, you’re OK You never snitched back then. I could have gotten in real trouble but you kept your mouth shut.” Tommy, too, had never forgotten the incident. That night he couldn’t sleep Feeling a weight on his chest But he remembered what his grandmother Taught him And heard her voice gently telling him “Let it go, let it go.” Slowly breathing in and out he closed his eyes, Repeating the words over and over Reaching a deep sleep And in the morning, the memory of it was really nothing at all. Finished with his meal Tommy, now an older Thomas, left the restuarant Outside, sensing a morning bright and clear He wondered what ever happened To a tough kid named Joey.