Mock anger has been my mode of preference;
I assume this attitude as a frame of reference.
True anger betrays an unsightly lack of control;
Behavior as shabby and black as a piece of coal.
No one likes to face demons that anger admits;
The emotion simply shoves us down into the pits.
But mock anger has become a kind of specialty;
An attitude I assume to hide my feelings of frailty.
“Shut up and pay attention,” I say to my students;
Then glare at them as if I had lost all prudence.
They know I am kidding and wouldn’t hurt a flea;
An element of truth spices up my aggravated plea.
“Time’s awastin’,” I yell to my kids playing around
“Lick those popsicles before they fall to the ground.”
Staged mock anger will often get my point across;
True anger will inspire feelings of emptiness and loss.
A great look at anger and what it does. I am very close to someone who angers very easily but like you write, "wouldn't hurt a flea." I don't think that anger is mock anger, but a venting for frustration for being unable to cope with ambiguity.
I rarely get angry like my father. I usually deal with someone else's anger by letting them vent it verbally while I simply absorb it, knowing that eventually that anger will subside and that I will not be looked at as a cause or aggravation because I didn't respond. But if I do get angry, watch out. You won't like me when I'm angry, to paraphrase the Incredible Hulk. ;-)
Mary Angela Nangini's poems celebrate the richness of life and love. From the city to cottage-country and the roads in between, Nangini explores the changing seasons of her varied region. (This book will soon be reprinted in hard cover.)
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you said, Staged mock anger will often get my point across;
wise words
well done !
m
Love ya!
Jane
they love how I react.
They call me angry grandpa,
But they know it's just an act.
I rarely get angry like my father. I usually deal with someone else's anger by letting them vent it verbally while I simply absorb it, knowing that eventually that anger will subside and that I will not be looked at as a cause or aggravation because I didn't respond. But if I do get angry, watch out. You won't like me when I'm angry, to paraphrase the Incredible Hulk. ;-)
Ron