Disproportionate response – 100 words

Disproportionate response

To the boulderer I met in the wood,

I said I’m sorry my dog startled you, and I know some people find animals scary.

What more could I say?

I wasn’t ignoring you when I walked away – the opposite –

I’d heard every word and when you got to the bit

where you said you’d hit my dog with a stick,

I was frightened – though the sight of your raised fist had set that feeling loose.

You said you feared what my off-lead dog would do to you:

I feared what you and your violent promise would do to me.