I've watched children of all ages Throw tantrums when inconvenienced Treat one another with selfishness cruelty and vile intent They demand my respect I, who bite and claw For every bit of mercy I've owned My age, my inflection, my skin precedes me Though I am dark I don't owe you anything You little fuckers
From the Author
Out of respect for those who don’t like cursing- feel free to replace “little fuckers” with “little men.” We good? Good.
In my current job/career I work in the dead-zone between retail and medical services. I’m actually really quite good at my job. I’ve got certifications, customer reviews, and statistics to prove it. But there are some… many humans I work with who will never be convinced of my skill no matter how many times I solve problems they’ve had for decades. I work with humans who punish others for caring about them- for going above and beyond.
It’s not always a racism thing, but it often is.
But that’s not the point I’m trying to make here.
The point is that I’ve gotten into a lot of trouble in my life due to my “authority problems.” For me, respect exists independent of position. If you are kind and fair, you have earned my respect. If you are not, then you get the baseline and nothing more (Which is still a lot, btw). As one might guess, not many people of advanced position or age take kindly to that sentiment. Some people want you to treat them with favor on the merit that they exist, and… I just have never and will never be able to stomach that crap.
This work is dedicated to little men who think themselves as gods. May all your bacon burn.
The Poetry of Ants 