Getting To Know The Faces Of Failures Poem by RIC BASTASA

at first they come like harsh
beasts of the cavemen variety
crude to your feelings
and you want to dismiss them
and even kill them in one explosion

but they don't leave
and they do not die at your option
and your own terms and
conditions

for they are like acrobats and
bats and cyclops
they know very well how to evade
your manner of attacking them

for you are too crude enough
in your manners of dealing with each of them

you get attuned to their faces and bodies and shapes
and strategies and skills
after a long, long time
they too learn from you and the next time that they
knock on your door
they look like perfect gentlemen
with coat and tie
and shining branded shoes
equipped with the latest technologies of
communication

but you do not get outdone
you evolve too

this time you are a well positioned high-rise executive
witty, subtle, and from so many failures that you meet
you become the new consultant of their disappointments
possessing a very strong self-esteem,
tough, and smart and when they come for an appointment
with you
you tell them: 'welcome, please be seated gentlemen
this is your new office now! '