when you dropped your guard

[jackrational]

there are things
you can't really brace yourself for
the blow lands
you try to absorb it
you stagger a little
you give some ground
even though you're not throwing
you have to learn to take a punch
you have to learn to take a joke
maybe your laughter seems hollow
because it's not really funny
but it is a defense
it is a deflection
and it is a detachment
to be amused at
how dedicated your circumstances
are to the project
of grinding you down
dig in your heels
the early rounds are over
it's the size of the fight
in the man that matters
you left something in the tank
didn't you?