To Become a Man by Bogdan Dragos

the good thing about being young

is that you don’t take

as much damage from falling

ten is a fantastic age

for falling

and for getting into

fights

with other kids

It usually all ends with

a handshake and a

tightened friendship

Unless adults get in the way. It all goes

down when adults get in the way.

Childhood itself goes to

hell when adults get in the way

He feels the

scar on the back of his head

aching every time he thinks of this

of the day father had him

fight another ten year old

He didn’t want to

so father pushed him from the back

and called him a pussy

And then father called him

a pathetic piece of crap after he lost

the fight

Father was a gambler. He bet the other kid’s

father that he’ll win the fight

But he lost miserably…