by Dana Yost
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| “No Mercy” by Mariusz Kozik |
It’s turned me
into a steel blade,
cutting people from my life
without hesitation, without doubt,
just a quick slice and they are gone.
I’m not a heartless man. Rather,
the opposite: forgiving, understanding.
But not this time, not this time.
Some things are too sacred.
The Constitution, for one.
I believe. I defended it
my entire career. If you choose
to denigrate, or violate, or ignore
it, you face the blade that my life
has taken on: it will cut you
out, send you into the outer darkness
of my life where I may never see
you again, never think of you again.
I’m sorry—no, strike that.
I do not apologize. I am steel,
on this, I am steel. And the blade
cuts fast.
Dana Yost was an award-winning daily newspaper journalist for 29 years. Since 2008, Yost has written six books, including last year's poetry chapbook In Your Head.