Do not start this conversation now
here
with so little quiet
and so many witnesses.
There is very little chance
the conversation will be controlled
just as you hope.

What you ask is incendiary
and I have been ready to explode
for some time, myself.
The conditions are perfect
for a firestorm.
Be careful
lest you set it off.

I’ve been waiting for this,
really,
been hoping for the chance
to give myself over
to the rage and heat and destruction
that has been circling us both
for some time.
I don’t think
I can stay cool for much longer.

So really,
I’d like to amend my initial statement.
Ask me what you want
here and now.
I am fully prepared to answer any and all questions
you may have,
however uncomfortable.

It is time,
I think, for things
to get hot under the collar.