a thin veneer to anger management

· by · in free verse, poetry. ·


with just a thin veneer
cracked on wrinkled brows,
and he is anger-stretched
on whitened knuckles.

in his tailored suit
and alpha-tie insignia
he’s yet a white-backed
chest-thumper hiding

to be secretely released
in anger management
as he breaks – SNAP –
yet another pen in two

and when he dragon-talks
on mobile radio-waves
his timid wife find strength
and shut her mobile off.

and like a roaring wave
that crashes on unmoving shores
he river-weeps – alone


Linked to Imaginary Gardens with real toads and Poetry Pantry. Releasing the Wild Man is too often in anger. So I choose to talk about anger-management. Addtion.. just realized I had to have the sea in my poem too.. so I added a stanza.
—
March 22

35 responses to “a thin veneer to anger management”

  2. I worked for a man like this once. He threw a phone clear across the room (back in the day when a phone was all attached) one time when things weren’t going his way in court (he was a lawyer). That was the day I stopped working for him. I heard, a few years later, he died of a heart attack. You describe that particular type of personality perfectly, Björn.

  5. ha. i know this guy…used to work for him when i was in banking…he used to tell us how the world revolved around him…and when it did not go his way…omg…

    still dropping kennings as well…smiles.

  6. I’ve worked with people like this. Scary, awful when they go over to the dark side. Twenty minutes later, when they manage to glom onto a modicum of self control, they expect everyone around them to be carrying on business as usual – as if co-workers didn’t notice there was a monster rampaging about the office, just a few minutes earlier. Eech!

  11. You describe the scariest personality type for me. I worked for men like this. So grateful to be “retired” and out of the corporate world. Love your kennings.

  12. I worked for someone who always reminded me of a pressure cooker building up steam. I predicted he’d have a heart attack. I moved to another job and heard he had a killer heart attack. A Type A personality if I ever saw one.

  13. Anger is so much a part of the human psyche, probably as necessary as survival, but very frightening if not held in check.
    This particularly hits home as we in South Africa sit through the murder trial of one who allowed anger to overtake civility. It is real and it is out there.

  16. oh heck…i once had a boss like this.. not easy to handle those alpha-tie types well… it’s only a question of years until they get the first heart attack…ugh

  18. o my..he’ll have that killer attack soon….now i remember a tale of the Buddha…once he met such a man and bore a torrent of vituperative blast….when the man was finished Buddha asked him, ‘What do you do when someone does not accept your gift?” the man snapped, ” I take it back”..”I am not accepting your gift”..said the Buddha.. 🙂

  19. I can see the kennings in your verses ~ I specially like that ending, he river-weeps alone ~ Some people I know have these issues but they just need to temper and find a balance with themselves ~ Happy Sunday Bjorn ~

  26. … and here, the “alone” does not leave me feeling sad. This angered me – and made me worry about the wife. Powerfully written.

  27. Tempers flayed without thoughts revealed more of the angry guy than the intended victim. Many didn’t want to count to 10 before a flare-up. Great write Bjorn!

    Hank

  31. he’s yet a white-backed chest-thumper hiding… what a marvelous metaphor or is it analogy (get them mixed up!). Again, that prompt seems to have brought out the best in you, my friend. Love, Amy

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