i hear you call the word in the hall
and my head jerks up only to see
a friend hugged you from the back in the hall.
you cry wolf and i
was devoured by canine mandibles.

or the time we were playing Street Fighter
with friends and
you, in defeat, used the word
and asked me why i cringed.

i call the word for a court and
someone says
my claim is
illegitimate.

we scream the word in that alley
that taxi
that apartment
and no one bats an eye.