i.
He stands at 6'8" --
the tallest man I know.
With his deep green eyes,
large calloused hands,
and a gentle disposition,
he's seemingly harmless. . .
That's what I had always assumed,
until the other night.

ii.
I was playing guitar
in my own little world,
happy,
and was abruptly shaken out of it
when he screamed,
"I'm going to smack the crap out of you",
and went plodding downstairs.
Immediately, an image of my mother flashed into my head.
My mother
My 5'4" mother,
with her shiny hair,
fragile hands, and beautiful smile,
being clobbered by her husband.

iii.
Part of me knew that he
must have been yelling at the dog,
but that image was more than enough
to make me realize what he is capable of.
My subconscious must be displaying the
Faults
of my perception.
  

*How strange.