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Eugene Stevenson
Barney Fife Finds Sweet Revenge
Eugene Stevenson
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Consider then the tough-guy Barney Fife, chafing second fiddle to Andy Taylor, always a deputy, object of derisive laughter even in the face of, Now I’m being serious here.
His troubles begin when he begins to think, compound as he kicks through his thoughts, manifest as he avers to be what he is not, People are going to respect me after this.
He has had to wait decades for his opportunity: black sunglasses, black equipment belt, black Kevlar vest, black Glock in the holster, black telescoping baton. Fear on the hoof.
Barney grows a swagger, hours in the gym, practices a Drop Dead scowl in the mirror, screams commands in the shower, falls in love with his ICE uniform. Sweet revenge.
Eugene Stevenson , son of immigrants, father of expatriates, lives in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. Eisenhower Fellow, Pushcart Prize nominee & author of The Population of Dreams (Finishing Line Press 2022), his poems have appeared in The Galway Review, The Hudson Review, San Pedro River Review, Third Wednesday, Tipton Poetry Journal & Washington Square Review among others.
