A poem from Joey's perspective about his duel with Seto at the Duelist Kingdom.  This isn't one of my best pieces and it could probably use some more work.  I wanted to end it with him getting up all fired up and defiant, but I think I'm getting addicted to angst.

Note:  In case you didn't know, Joey and Tristan did bully Yugi in the first series of the show, before they became friends with him.

In the Dirt

I used to knock him down

for fun

to see his little face

get all scrunched up and scared

I used to take pieces

of that puzzle,

the yellow puzzle

and throw them out

and laugh with Tristan

as he scrambled

to gather them

in his shaking hands

But now,

the sight of his face

all scrunched up and scared

makes me want to hit

makes me want to hurt

whoever did this to him

If the rich jerk used fists

Yugi could stand up to him

but he uses words,

hard, sharp, cutting words

breaking him down,

hurting his spirit,

before turning away

with blinding arrogance

I want to hurt him

but I grab his collar

and look into those

narrow, mean eyes

he's not scared,

he's not even mad

"Nice grip,"

he sneers,

"Let me show you mine."

And before I can think

my hands scrape the dirt,

one twist of his wrist

and I'm spread on the ground.

everyone's talking

but all I can feel

is a deck of cards

in my pocket

pressing hard

against my hip.

It's easier to get up

when you have a purpose

"Break out your cards,"

I tell him.

He laughs at me

and I want to smash

his smirking face in

Card after card

I play on the field.

all of them spin away

like leaves in the wind.

I thought I was good

I thought I was a winner

Mai and Rex,

they were tough,

but they fell to me.

I won.

I'm a good duelist

…right?

Amateur

he calls me

whimpering dog

I play card after card

watching in disbelief

as he mows them down,

tilting his head,

rolling his eyes,

bored to death.

Then I draw a dragon,

a red-eyed dragon

and victory bursts in my brain

as his beast smolders

and fades away.

Joey the winner is back.

I rub my palms,

scraped with dirt

from my fall.

Who's going to bite the dirt

this time?

He blinks at my pride

and cracks a half smile

Moron

his eyes say

Idiot

He sets a card down

like he doesn't even care

A silver-white beast

rises from the falling sparkles

and before I can speak

my dragon goes up in flames

The sound of my lifepoints

hitting zero

strikes a weakness inside me

and I can't stand anymore.

just like that

it's over

I lost.

My palms are in the dirt again,

I clench my eyes shut

as disgrace overwhelms me.

I won't cry.

I won't cry.

I kneel

on the hard, rough dirt,

scalded with shame,

limp with helplessness,

burning words continue to fall

and I can't deflect them,

can't stop the weakness

brokenness consumes me

I won't cry.

I won't cry.

Like a worthless puppet

tossed aside

like a piece of garbage

on the ground

I see the pity in their eyes

and the laughter in his.

Amateur,

Idiot,

Loser,

Joey the dog,

kneeling in the dirt