How to dodge bullets
An idiot refuses to comprehend the physics of a bullet spinning at 2800 ft/s in his direction.
It cuts through the wind, adding complexity to the equation, but none of this matters to him.
Granted, this is a difficult thing to understand, but for him, amassing knowledge is a massive waste of time.
He thinks he’s bullet-proof because what he doesn’t know can’t hurt him.
So it’s surprising when the bullet strikes beneath his chest, shredding his liver into pink mist.
“What does the liver do again?” he asks, looking down at the bloody mess. He doesn’t know, so it can’t be that important.
And he doesn’t even feel a thing because the nervous system is just the name of some shitty indie band he listens to on the weekends.
So why did he fall exactly when the bullet exited his skin?
Why did his blood leave him even though he didn’t understand?
And why did his lungs stop heaving then?
Because sometimes what he doesn’t know can rip him to shreds.
And a metaphorical bullet can be just as vicious.
Like a law he refused to acknowledge; ignorance won’t protect him from societal justice.
Or maybe he snubs vaccinations, allowing expunged diseases to raze medical foundations.
Or maybe it’s the difference between homonyms which/witch he did not/knot think much about until there/their/they’re was know/no way/weigh to/two/too know/no which/witch one/won to/too/two choose/chews when he filled out his job applications.
Yet everything could have been so different if only someone had informed him that knowledge can dodge bullets.
Posted Jan 19, 2022, 11:36 PM UTC
I like how it feels like I'm not reading poetry, like it's a part taken from a novel. The story just flows and i like the homonyms stanza, really clever.