In any event
the use of violence
was a defining characteristic
of the man.
It was as close
to a complete language
as he ever got.
When angry
and
at a loss for words,
which was often,
he could express himself physically
with direct and frightening
eloquence.
These violent episodes
were perhaps
the only times when he felt
truly lucid.
I suspect
he savored
the power of expression
and sense of control
this language gave him.
His violence . . .