My wife cannot hurt me.
My friends cannot hurt me.
My parents cannot hurt me.
My in-laws cannot hurt me.
My co-workers cannot hurt me.
My financial advisor cannot hurt me.
My boss cannot hurt me.
The cats, the turtle, and the fish--none can hurt me.
The barista in the cafeteria--she cannot hurt me.
The guy delivering Amazon packages to my door yesterday--he cannot hurt me.
The elderly lady in lavender who bumped into my shopping cart and then
apologized profusely--in no way can she hurt me.
Only my children can hurt me.
They wield a power all the more dangerous because
they do not know they possess it
and if they ever deployed it
it would be by pure accident
by pure unawareness
and this makes it more devastating
than any planned attack
could ever be.
I could, if needed, walk away from most anything or anyone.
But before such power
I am unguarded, helpless
as a newborn who has yet to take their first breath.
