To Be Courteous Poem by RIC BASTASA

to be courteous
to this society where i live
i pocket my smile
i swallow my pride

you see me chewing a gum
and you order me
to swallow it
because you don't like seeing me
chewing this mint

i swallow it
in your name
and behave as though nothing happened

no i will not tell anybody
i will not tell about you or your name
i will not retaliate

i will just write
this poem

if you call this a poem at all
this shame
and this shamelessness of you