RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION

I'd finished the matinee
Attended my karate instruction between shows
A street fighting course
I started to feel unwell
and realized
I was coming down with something
Feeling ill I approached Malin, my stage manager
"I'm not sure I can do it."
Meaning the night show
He looked at me and said, "We got you covered. Go home."
So I trudge my way back to Port Authority
Weary
Off
As I cross 45th I have a clear walk signal
So I walk and a taxi slams on its' brakes nearly hitting me
I'm like "Damn dude! I've got the right of way here!"
I'm filled with righteous indignation
So in a Dustin Hoffman moment I kick at his bumper with my boot
"I'm walking here!"
I barely tap it by the way
Just a flick of my boot
But I do touch his bumper
The door flies open and the cabby jumps out
I was not expecting this
But you know, It's New York
He comes running at me
Right in the middle of 8th and 45th
He comes
Well, I just came from Karate class
I drop in stance
Wait till he is in range
And strike
Heel palm
It's meant to be a stunning blow
Not really causing damage
But stunning
I have power
And it lands
Right on the cheek where it is intended
He staggers back
But then I get mad
And I want to hurt him
That's adrenaline
I step forward and
See a Times Square cop on the corner talking into his radio
I drop my hands take a breath and walk calmly over
Rapidly a half dozen officers come running to the scene
Apparently the Times Square rent-a-cop gave the wrong code over the system
He called the number for "Officer Down!"
They came at me hard and fast
It was scary but I stood there calmly
It was discovered that the light on 45th and 8th was broken
It was showing a clear walk signal to pedestrians and green to drivers
Intersecting
We were both filled with righteous indignation
And wrong
I tell my side of the story
The cab is sitting there mid-way through the cross-walk
Door wide open
The Sergeant looks me sternly in the eye and says,
"Apologize."
"I'm sorry," I say without hesitation
"Go home," he says.
"But he hit me!," says the cabby
"Go," says the cop
And I'm gone
I know how this sounds but without those cops
That guy would have been done
I would have hit him again
The second time would not have been a stunning blow
I was sure I was right
Turns out we both were
and wrong at the same time
This is a lesson
A Karate lesson
It's best to avoid confrontation
And righteous indignation serves no one