i did it Tony
i did whatcha told me
garrett stood in the middle of the field
he mocked me
ran his fingers across his neck
colt and al laughed
behind him
tyler was on the playground
afraid hed get his ass kicked
andrea and paige were there
courtney too
all these people Tony
they all wanted to know
because mrs. elhanan went
to the bathroom and he saw
he saw Tony
garrett screamed then
called me out
said youre a coward
how i wouldnt do it
i was small
i would never touch him
he was still talkin
when i did it
i ran
so fast
threw my knee at his gut
but thats when he got me
grabbed me
thats when i lost it Tony
before he bashed my face
and i ended up with you
in the nurses office
with mom on the way
i saw courtney
she was watching
worried
all cause i blundered it
i tried Tony
i did but
i shoulda known
me
an underdog.
***
Tanner Armatis (he/him) has been published by No Contact, the Daily Drunk, CP Quarterly, the Royal Rose, and elsewhere. He was a reader at the North American Review. You can find more about him on his website tannerarmatis.com or on Twitter @ok__tanner.
***
image: MM Kaufman
Rejection Letters 