Hairs On The Back Of The Neck

David arrived for his first day
when I was out

His head leant on his arm writing
One of the others had given him a form
to fill in - something safe - and he
did look vulnerable with his head down
fair skinned sort of Black mixed-race

The little school was quiet and I was
relaxed, glad to be back, confident
Hello you must be David
He lifted his head looked at me and
said Fuck Off
Unusual but no big deal and I gave
a little shrug and walked on like
no matter

The strange thing was when he looked
up at me the hair on the back of my
neck stood up
I had read the cliche of course
it's never happened since

When he stabbed a little asian man
to death in front of his even more little
wife
"to see if he would bleed"
a newspaper said how after he was
sentenced to twenty-eight years
he shouted to the judge to
Fuck Off

So I was right not to take it
personally
but the hairs on the back of the neck
bit still makes me wonder