Weight Room

As a scrawny middle schooler,
I went to the community rec center
And used the weight room.

It felt intimidating,
So many pieces of equipment,
And I was lifting alone.

A muscular man was talking to
His lifting partner about
A mild-mannered mutual friend.

“He played football in college,
And one day he got into an elevator
With a girl who said, nastily,

‘Hello, Mr. Steroid.’
He pushed her up against the wall
And said, ‘You bitch,

You keep your mouth shut
Or I’ll kill you.’
Those steroids, they mess with your mind.”

The weight room felt intimidating still.
But no longer just from ignorance
And not knowing the patterns of the place.

Who could tell when a mild-mannered man
Might turn would-be murderer?