the kid

there was a kid
in the neighborhood,
the kid who threw bricks through windows.
the kid
who dropped firecrackers
into coke bottles.
the kid with lighter
fluid and matches
setting Halloween bags on fire.
the kid with fists.
red faced and angry.
the kid who went to the creek
with a nail in the end of a stick
hunting frogs or fish.
the kid who darkened
the eyes of other kids
on the playground.
a strange kid with a cigarette
and a broken tooth.
an unloved kid, perhaps.
a kid you can't forget,
nor the fear he instilled
in everyone.