The Boys Who Think They've Wolves

These are the boys

Who think they’re wolves

Who play with fire

And run downtown

They run downtown

To start the fires

To grab the hoses

To put them out

These are the boys

Who climb the walls
And scale the trees

And fall off roofs

The boys who howl

At midnight moons

And scratch the furniture

Just like wolves

These are the boys who lick their wounds

And drink their beers

And play their games

Not games of fire

But games that rush
And beat

And blacken

And push and shove

These are the boys

Who stay up all night

And sleep all day

And make their minds up

Once a year

But never make

Their beds

These are the boys

Who think they’re wolves

But can’t relate

Or organize

Or find the time

To grow their fur

Or brush their teeth

These are the boys

Who run in packs

And get in fights

And show their scars

Like new tattoos

These are the boys

With old tattoos

That spell out names

Of girls they loved

Who couldn’t learn

To love a wolf

These are the boys

Who play parade

And puff and shout

And stoke the flames

Of Friday fires

Until they feel the heat

These are the boys

Who on Sundays

Show their teeth

To parish priests

And suck their toes

And think of ways

They’d like to quit

The jobs they lost

Two months ago

These are the boys

Who graduate last

And smoke for fun

And need to drink

And get caught up

In other’s schemes

Others who look like wolves

But act like cats

And the boys who think they’re wolves

Can’t tell the difference

These are the boys

Who think they’re fine

With shirts showing off

Their bloated guts

And brand new sneakers

And short haircuts

These are the boys

Who lose control

And break their stuff

And hang their heads

And cry for lost things

They never had

They run through the streets

With boxes of matches

And football jerseys

And heavy coats

They strike the match

But the streets are wet

With midsummer rain

And morning gloss

The fires they manage to start

Go out in seconds

And never come back

And the boys who think they’re wolves

Howl at the spots

Where the fires should be

These are the boys

Who think they’re wolves

But talk like boys

And think like boys

And act like men

Who want to be boys

Who want to be wolves

The fur won’t grow

And the ears won’t perk

And the teeth won’t sharpen

And nothing will hurt

But the boys will run

How they’ll run and run

Until they fall over

And find themselves

Awake in the morning

Asleep at night

And left with only

Themselves to blame