I Am The Hated One

 
I am the hated one
that unites everyone:
the one idea they share is their collective contempt against me.
the venting vehicle for their hostility.

Without inhibition or the remotest restraint
they hurl verbal expletives in my direction and paint
me as the cause of their misery
and the cathartic purge of all that's septic in their history.

Eighty times a day I must look over my shoulder
while their denigrations of me become louder and bolder.

I am an easy target for their verbal onslaughts,
clearly visible in my black sneakers, white socks and midnight blue cargo shorts.

I am their inverted panacea
with no room for doubt in their criteria,
for I am the antithesis of brotherhood in men.
My only weapon is my pen,
ticketing them for a mere parking violation.