Beware
by shirley drexler
Don’t mess with me!
I have shifty eyes
And laugh in a cold
Calculating manner.
I have a sharp tongue
And wear a snide smirk.
I pinch little children
And steal their pennies.
If you correct me in public
You’re on my shit list.
On the street the gangs
Give me a wide berth.
I cast a sinister shadow
And can see like a cat at night.
I’m all invective and bluster.
No one ever suspects that
I come from a long
Line of cowards.
Shirley Drexler lived in New York City for her first 87 years before moving to San Francisco in 2004 to be near one of her sons, his wife and twin daughters. She is a member of the writers group at Rhoda Goldman Plaza, where she lives and kvetches.