Ripped

[This was sparked from the Weekend Wordsmith prompt "ripped." Once I started thinking of all the ways that word might be used, I couldn't stop.]


Ripped from the Headlines

He is ripped, and goes shirtless
to show off his six-pack and
shoulders, and the powerful arms that he slowly
grew with dedication and weights.

His jeans are ripped at the knees
and stained with oil and paint,
manly stains that prove he doesn't
care about his appearance.

He grits his teeth as he rips
the adhesive bandage off his shin,
tearing out leg hairs by the roots,
and pretending the sting
in his eyes is from
grit blown in by the wind.

He tosses the bandage in the trash,
on top of the ripped shirt,
ruined beyond repair, and tainted
with the memory

when they ripped off his store
while he flexed his muscles
and stared down the barrel
of guns held by skinny-armed cowards.