Secret Ninja
You thought you saw me!
But you didn't.
I wear black turtlenecks.
Black panties.
Live in a tall cave!
You don't know where my cave is.
But I come out.
Every day!
To buy mustard & relish!
See what—
A man.
Walking away from me.
No good.
Smash him!
With a loud smash!
Smash his metal table and cards.
Good!
Down in my cave.
Put on my Seahawk gear!
Watch Parade of Homes.
Watch Ron Popeil put chicken & fishes
& burgers & pork & macaroni in the same
box. Hey! I can sell that
box! At school.
Where I smash the gym teacher in his head!
I don't wear my uniform.
I don't clean my locker.
I don't share my lunch with the athletes.
My lunch—mustard.
Straight from the packet.
No one sits next to me.
Keep working my skills.
Keep circling the word blood
in Macbeth.
Good.
It takes days.
It takes days.
Copyright Credit: Kiki Petrosino, "Secret Ninja" from Fort Red Border. Copyright © 2009 by Kiki Petrosino. Reprinted by permission of Sarabande Books, Inc..
Source: Fort Red Border (Sarabande Books, 2009)