They always told us that the word 'nice'

Was prohibited

And that no one held the key for its cell door

But you were always so goddarn 'nice'

That I couldn't help but let myself go

Bloody-handed with the evidence of it

Creeping from my lips.

You were so goddarn 'nice' that

When the house was empty of all but us

For the first time

You appologised to me for my breaking of a plate

On your feet

You goddarn 'nice' brother, you

Couldn't you just hit me back?

And give up being so goddarn 'nice'

And couldn't you jsut blame it on me?

Because my conscience is stained by the way

You submitted your 'sorry's

Like they were library books

On returned leave

And you were so goddarn 'nice'

That you never condesquended to treat me as equal

Or mark me as treasured

By splitting my face with a fist of retaliation

Or my raising a blade of angry words

To my tissue-paper neck

When you were thirteen you stopped being goddarn 'nice'

Not to me

But to yourself

And in 97.6% of ways

That was worse