February 7, 2018

Dear Anonymous,

Received your unsigned request for redress,

Couldn't miss the self-righteousness,

Evident in the self-lessness.

I remember you as "Not Me"

In the pages of "Family Circus;"

Glad to see you have progressed

From denial-ability to anonymity.

Recess any more into your unattested distress,

And I couldn't respect you any less,

Dear Anonymous,

Creator of gutless excess.

If a man in a crisis falls back on what he knows best*,

You step forward with obscure epithets,

And my only real regret is the inability

To call you out, anonymous.

Dear anonymous,

Please refrain from games of fake largesse.

We all are names that put credence

To claims that defame or inflame.

Don a mask and we can still get a sense

Of skin and bone, character and intent.

Come as a complete unknown,

And you flail without a backbone.

Dear anonymous,

I am sure you read this

As evidence you have been oppressed,

When all I have expressed,

Is a distaste of your cowardly unpleasantness.

* With a nod to The Cowboy Junkies' "First Recollection."