He roared as my boot slammed into the space between ear and jaw.

I wondered to myself if he had ever been kicked in the face while still standing straight? Surely in the playtime roughness of boyhood he had occasion to have a foot brush his cheek, a time or two.

This time, however, was very different. My blow came like squeeze, quick, powerful and painful. My boot the eight-time champion of street warfare, it's hard outer case branded by fools who came before this one.

"You're dead spic" he wailed. Awkwardly racing toward my face with plump right hand. I froze for a moment, thinking of my next move. Sure I could do any number of things to stop his half-ass attempt of attack, but that last part about being a spice pissed me off. I wasn't even sure what it really meant or why it was derogatory. I mean nigger has it ties to Africa and slavery, chink to the sounds and descriptions of asians; cracker was dim and obvious. But spic I didn't get. Was it in reffrence to all the spanish people in the world who cleaned up after the lazy white man? Like spic and span? That would only count, to me, as half an insult.

At any rate I snatched his wrist out of air like peregrine and broke it.

The boy let loose a blood curdling scream and spasmodicly hit the ground. Another kid from his set whispered a "holy shit" and the fighting halted as quickly as it began.

All eyes went to me and mine for the next move. While inclined to beat the insolence out of all the useless whelps, I decided to leave things be and go before 5-0 showed it's ugly head.

I was too spoiled and uppty to sleep in juevie.

I ran to my shidoshin explained my actions and accepted his praise and punishment.


"To harm another person is not brave; it does not make you special. It will not lead you to understanding or help ease your mind when troubles come calling. You protect that which is most valuable: your own life. But take no joy in doing so, instead take pride in your temperance and work towards peace by understanding violence."

This is what I tell my students. This is the sum of what was taught to me.

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