Yes, I Know I’m A Bad Boy Poem by Raj Arumugam

yes, I know I’m a bad boy
mothers told their kids:
don’t talk to that boy
he thinks too much and
is thin and lean and smiles too often
and such boys are dangerous;
and later, dads told their daughters:
don’t even talk to that boy
he says there’s no one more equal
or anyone less
and he says except for the law of the land
he knows no other authority


yes, I know I’m a bad boy
and wives told their husbands:
stay away from that man
he asks too many questions;
he’s got a complex;
he thinks he’s Socrates
and writes verse that just gets worse each day;
and anyway
what sort of men write verse but
the lazy, the irresponsible the losers
and those who can’t make money in any way?
those who just hang around in the marketplace
like that old man from Athens
who did nothing
but question and inquire


and of course I expect there might
be a little voice
in many a heart and head
that says
as I pass by:
stay away from this guy
for he’s such a bad boy;
he relinquishes clichés
and revels in strange phrases;
he recognizes no authority
and throws all text out
and says words do not make clear
they only distort;
and even though he writes verse
there’s also an end to song and poetry, he says;
stay away from him,
he’s such a bad, bad boy