The sister wars

Hair bows and straighteners, book bags and hoodies Walked through the crowd. Somewhere up ahead Book bags thrown. Like the circle of a throat The students on every side were turning red. They stopped walking and they began fighting. They sank like moles On to the hard ground between the people. And soon the principals, standing in their way, Felt the first punch. their noses began to hurt. At night the first grounding landed with a bam. Then words and look swept the temper-filled room. This lasted many days. The air was thick. The hairs stiffened on their necks. Most clearly of that war I remember The anger in eyes, how eyes looked swollen Around the nose, and the red vessels Would pulse with all the life there was within