SCORNED EARTH

She said,
You should know better
than to argue with a Philosophy major
in law school.
His mind is sharp,
his arguments elastic,
his wit and will to win
inexhaustible.
The law student
with a major in philosophy
will beat you every time.

Well, she said,
what do you have to say?
After the boy with all the degrees
has argued you into a hole
leaving you sputtering platitudes
and panicked cliches, what –
Wait! She said,
Where are you going with that mallet?
To teach the boy with the degrees
not argue with a poet
with the proper tools.