Old Adversaries

Why bother with a reply that leaves 

the question alive? By firing blanks 

survival isn’t surmised in a gesture 

of obeisance rather than defence; 

old timers say, to keep your hopes 

alive aim where ricochets play the 

odds sweetly and defiance means 

you can’t be swayed by deference 

The firing line isn’t a place to stay 

without an abundance of the best 

copper-tipped epithets - you don’t 

need any direct hits to make your 

antipathy evident - and has a way 
of discouraging old adversaries 

© 4 January 2014, I. D. Carswell