the one inch punch.

whack genie.
by hana lee

i found a magic lamp today underneath my chair,
hidden under cakes of dust and giant clumps of hair.
quickly i did polish it with breath and elbow grease
and out came deafening noises of twenty angry geese.

the first came out with wings amok, his eyes distorted red.
for at his tail, there seemed to be an infantry he led
of nineteen old and tired geese and at the very end,
a tiny nymph-like genie who closed his eyes and said:

"'scuse my foul fowl company, they're all quite deaf and blind.
but you, m'child, have beckoned me. a wish you have in mind?"
at this, i smiled and clapped my hands and cried out: yes i do!
i wish for the greatest one-inch punch, a mighty fierce one too!

and as i sat there waiting for my arms and fists to swell.
i imagined making bullies cry, sending them to hell.
i imagined saving poor old folk with wobbly legs and hands
and guiding all the picked-on kids to strange and magic lands.

and then i guess i dont recall a whole lot after that.
for i found myself, on the floor, hands and face down flat.
my body felt it took a blow, and then i realized.
that genie punk outsmarted me, and now i'm paralyzed.











art[ wk & twist mcgee.