I Hate Morty Russinow

5 floors down lived the enemy.
Taller, better looking, faster,
And vastly superior academically.
How could I not hate him?

60 years later I still hear my mother,
“Look how good Morty is doing,
Why can’t you be more like him?”
How could I not hate him?

Did I mention he was more popular?
Oh yes, Morty was a very popular guy.
Do I sound like an escapee
From a Woody Allen monologue?

Yet, I knew I was smarter then Morty,
Sort of.
I prayed to be taller.
(Before adjustable dental seats
It required 2 New York phone books
To reach a height where the dentist could examine me.)

But not Morty.
6 inches taller then my puny Holocaust-like self,
He could look straight over my head.
How could I not hate him?

Ha! Vengeance comes in many forms.
While he may have persisted in being taller
Morty grew up and became a dentist.
I hate him only occasionally now