Call Me the Aggressor
By John Herlihy

I
Call me the aggressor, although normally I am shy
I follow the house rules without questioning the reason why
I go about my routine, always quiet and unassuming
I am as meek as a lamb, always peaceful, never presuming
All day long I work hard without making a fuss
After work, I just make my way home, taking the bus.
Talk behind my back, or just shove me onto the back shelf
I will turn the other cheek and just continue to be myself.

II
With regard to injustice, however, I become another matter
I become something else entirely, as crazy as the Mad Hatter
The Dr. Jekyll of my outer self suddenly becomes Mr. Hyde
The strange case of a doctor who became a maniac inside
The sweetness dissolves into a rage aggressive and fierce
Directed at any injustice whose outer skin needs to be pierced
My calm outer visage turns cold, calculating and grey
Ready to spring into action but first I have something to say

III
Beware the danger of performing a grave injustice against others
Beware the risks of releasing a power that strangles and smothers
When I see injustice I see a blackness that needs to be eradicated
A predatory darkness in human nature that needs to be emasculated
I will give up the world and all its treasures to fight this menace
I will give up my life and all its joy as if in pursuit of penance
Who will put a stop to the world’s injustice if no one takes a stand
No one unless every individual is ready to reach out a noble hand.

IV
Here’s to the madman who speaks out for justice and the good
He walks around the city hiding his face inside a hood
Invisible to the world as it turns on its axis while making its orbit
Around the light of the world, our sun, we cannot afford to forfeit
How I wish that we could mimic the regularity of the universe
That goes about its business and never once goes into reverse
Here’s to the cry of the wolf in the face of man’s inhumanity to man
Let its sound shatter the glass of injustice in the mirror of God’s plan.