I captured a grudge to let loose on you
For grudges are common in Kalamazoo
I found one the right size, it fit in my hand
For a fully grown grudge can swallow a man

It started so small, such the simplest slight
But I held this small creature with all o’my might
I held it so tightly, there in my hand
’til its tail wrapped around my arm like a band

And it brought me some comfort right there a’first
As it fed off my anger and purred with each curse
But the longer I held it the more that it grew
And its fur turned to spikes which wounded me too

I want to let go but I no longer know how
For its beady red eyes are eyeing me now
The grudge in my hands that I’m holding so tight
No longer resembles the original slight

This once tiny grudge that I should’ve set free
I held it so tightly that it’s now part of me
What once was so small that it fit in my hand
Has grown up until it has swallowed this man

Neil White 2013