India Rubber Man's Credo

The softest creature in the world is hard
to capture, formless, slipping off, not flaccid,
just supple. Nothing can destroy me. Acid,
maybe, that's true (but plastic will retard
that stuff). We're soft and weak at birth, we sag
and flex through life, then like a limber tree
die rigid. I'm no stiff. Longevity
comes when we give in like a punching bag.
Passive aggressive? Sure. But it seems drastic
to blast your deathray, jab a fluid ounce
of poison in the neck. I like to trounce
my enemies in ways that are...gymnastic.
Who wants to give the villains satisfaction?
I’ve learned the art of acting without action.

Copyright © 2008 Tony Barnstone All rights reserved
from Burnside Review
Reprinted by Verse Daily® with permission