He was raised that way,

back then they all were

built like statues growing

up the way

their fathers taught them

to take a fist

like concrete jaws

of generations past

that beat life and wars

with twelve ounce gloves,

a glass of cheap scotch

and a loaded shot gun

that painted holes

in the wall

of the house by

the ball diamond

where your brother lost

two teeth in an alley

one finger in a bar fight

and three years in a jungle