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Drabble Corner

Michelle Swisz

Respect! This month's Drabble on the subject is written by Ralph Wahlstrom.

Descending Levels of Respect

kick me not

kick me

kick me hard

kick me once

kick me twice

kick me three times

kick me four times

kick me five times

kick me six times

kick me seven times

kick me eight times

kick me nine times

kick me ten times

kick me eleven times

kick me twelve times

kick me thirteen times

kick me fourteen times

kick me fifteen times

kick me sixteen times

kick me seventeen times

kick me eighteen times

kick me nineteen times

kick me twenty times

kick me thirty times

kick me forty times

kick me fifty times

kick me

Stupid question: Did you ever do something that you knew was not at all good for you but you were compelled to do it anyway? It can be love, of course. Yet it can also be milk shakes or wine. It's insidious in that in the right proportions, none of the above is necessarily self-destructive—it's only when we keep at it and at it after the point of moderation has passed that we create problems.

The thing about it being love, though, is that because it's love, the relationship appears to have redeeming social value no matter what it's like, no matter how much you're getting hurt. You can say, "Well, that's not love, then"—but it is, I think; it's just twisted here and there so that what you need takes on more importance than what you have to give. And it seems, too, that the more you mess up the relationship, the more you need from it in order to compensate for the messed up relationship.

What have you had too much of? Love? Candy bars? Our theme for February is Too Much! Use your imagination if you must. Here are the Guidelines. Submit your Drabble for March, due by February 10, to drabble@wvu.org. See you next time.

About the Author
Hello, and welcome to Drabbles. I'm Michelle, your Drabbles editor. I live north of San Francisco, with four spoiled cats, near the sea where I love to walk every day. I've tutored English in workshops, classrooms, and individually at San Jose State University, and have worked on the Fiction Panel here at Writers' Village. Comments and questions are always welcome!