He used to speak softly,
and carry a big stick.
Then he stopped speaking.
Still carried the big stick.
Then,
he became the big stick.
Taught to believe
that a man ain’t a man
if that man don’t show force.
He wants to be the force.
Rule harshly
against the defenseless.
Use the stick
to numb their senses
if they ever question.
He is the law,
and the embodiment thereof.
He doesn’t
have to claim that he’s God
when everything that he does
proclaims that he is.
In persona christi.
God in the flesh.
Some wonder
if he lost the ability
to speak.
Didn’t want things
lost in translation.
Conversations take patience,
and ain’t nobody got time for that.
His stick moves swiftly.
Talking
is for the weak.
He’s training gods to be
to choose force
over speech.
Because even if
they don’t respect his words,
they will respect his stick.
What is Kirby Doing?: Stories from life after Peace Corps eSwatini 