Through events
like these,
I was initiated into the vocabulary
of the male body.
It was here
I learned that actions
truly do speak
louder than words,
physical force being ultimately
more expedient.
I learned that swift brutality
was a tool
for gaining control
and a kind of respect.
Most important,
my father taught me
to view the male body
as a weapon,
associating it with anger
and violence.
I came . . .