The Minus Men

 

 

Like vampires,
The Minus Men suck your life blood,
They sleep in normal beds, dress in khakis and polos,
And put on their underwear the same way as every Tom, Dick, and Harry.
These Minus Men may not sleep in coffins or brush sharpened teeth,
But they drain
and minimize like Dracula.

These modern vampires inhabit offices with oaken desks,
They shelter in place behind computer monitors and office assistants,
Shielded by degrees and job titles,
But their hunger for the spirit and soul of others
Is just as insistent and destructive
As if they were Bram Stoker’s creations.

These Minus Men are feverishly hungry,
Gnawing on any small bits of gristle,
Any small details that they can focus on and then tear apart.
They look for miniscule weaknesses in your defense, and
Instead of teeth, their tongues pick at,
Ridicule,
And suck your marrow by cracking and breaking and destroying—
Your appearance, your laugh, your intelligence, your personality, your mental health, and your heritage are all snacks on the plate.

Minus Men
Target you because your passion and confidence is strong,
And your self-esteem and resilience are the most desired life force
For these little men.

They insert lifts in their Florsheims to increase their stature,
Not wanting you to appear taller than themselves.
They make sure their job title is capitalized, a proper noun,
And the diploma is gold-plated—
Anything to close the door on dissent or new thought.

They dimunitize by referring to “Kimmy,” even though they know you are Kim,
Deny the truth of what you say,
Speak with a megaphone to silence your viewpoint,
Cover the mirrors to keep you from seeing the truth of your image--
The truth of your real height.

They make sure their titles and degrees or their Holy Spirit-endowed gifts
Help those around them feel less than,
Less chosen,
Less valid,
Less important,
Of Less value.

These little men are Minus Men.
They can easily take a 10—
and with each word they slowly drain 1 and 1 and 1 until a 7 stands before them.
Oh, the anger they feel for anyone, especially a female, who would dare for an 8 or 9 or 10.
They make sure to Minus you in front of others,
To ignore your needs or your reality.
They make you question yourself,
Am I mistaken?  Am I overreacting?  Am I really that messed up?  
10 . . . 9. . . . 8. . . 7 . . . 6 . . . 5—
All so they can sit in their big boy chairs.

The Minus Men—   
No garlic, holy water, or stake through the heart can destroy these modern monsters.
They are protected by their ability to camouflage their blood-sucking desire.


So, dear Warrior,
Your fight is a daily one.  
You will need to gear up.
Buy earbuds to block out the seductive minimizing words.
Carry a mirror to remind yourself of your truth.
Wear your heels (if you choose) but remind yourself that you are taller than they are
Even if you are in flats.
Surround yourself with Multipliers, those who reveal the truth,
And slowly . . .
Slowly . . .
Slowly . . .
 

You will realize their Minus Man math makes no sense.
Pythagoras, Alan Turing, and even Stephen Hawking himself would not have understood their logic.  

You will  learn to speak up and maximize your power. 

You will learn to stand tall, refusing to stoop your shoulders.  

You will  look the vampires right in the eyes and dare them to diminish you.

You will remind yourself daily that they are wearing lifts,
That they are hiding their vampire teeth and poisonous tongues.

You are a warrior,
No matter what they say.