Paul began a war.
He began it by breaking a rule.
He bent the rule first around a column.
He measured the column for consistency.
The rule broke on a column
one inch too long in circumference.
The stonemason had only the one rule.
Paul broke it.
The stonemason swung his hammer
to break Paul’s head.
Paul saw it coming.
He dodged in time to save his head.
The swung hammer sang its desire
to impact something hard.
copyright © 2020 Kenneth P. Gurney
