"fear" by martin auer

(translated by Kim Martin Metzger)

Why
is that guy
looking at me like that?
Is he afraid of me?

Why
is that guy
afraid of me?
Does he think that I want to hurt him?

Why
does he think
that I want to hurt him?
I never hurt anyone!

I never hurt anyone,
unless he wants to hurt me!

So if that guy thinks that I want to hurt him,
then only because he knows:
I hurt everybody
who hurts me.

So: he must want to hurt me!

So I guess I'll go right over there and bash him in the mouth,
so that he can't hurt me.

Ouch!

His fist was quicker than mine!
Now here I am on the ground.
But didn't I tell you right away
that he wanted to hurt me.