You shouldn’t even be online
if you can’t take what I dish out.
Bringing justice to the unworthy:
the weak, the soft, no sticks and stones
when words are just as damaging.
Wielded right they have the power
to destroy the vulnerable,
the immature. I have an instinct
for going for the jugular
I love to exercise — lashing out.
I see your puny presence on my screen;
your anxiety, your insecurities
revealed in every message.
You are my easy target, my prey
and your suffering is my pleasure.
I inhabit the anonymity
of the online world, a shark cruising
a coral reef. The apex predator
who delights in his impunity.
Rohan Buettel lives in Canberra, Australia. He became a poet after retiring from working for more than three decades in public service, mainly in the field of communications policy (telecommunications, broadcasting, post, online content). He rides a mountain bike, paddles a kayak and sings in a choir. His haiku and longer poems have been published in Australian and international journals.