Stubborn in the set of his shoulders
rigid through the spine
and all of this seen and sensed from behind
known to me since before he was born
I didn’t need to look in his eyes
to know that this argument was not mine
so I gracefully cleared the court
changed the subject
moved on.
Sons,
no matter how old they become
some wars come down to small battles
high grounds have advantages
but retreats can be more tactical