Peer groups lend solidarity and strength. Pull the leader or one of his/her minions out of the safety of numbers, and sometimes all is revealed; a frightened, anxious nobody. That is gang behavior in a nutshell.

Gangland Wimps

The sacrificial rituals
Of urban gangland wars,
Headbangers brandish weapons
And settle up their scores.

The battle ravaged warriors
Need a place to mend for free,
A private room and three fine meals
With good security.

The peer group bold bravado
Is grossly overrated,
When battered and deserted
Is quickly dissipated.

Warlords of the urban jungle
Gangsters and the pimps,
When busted up and all alone
Are very often, wimps.

Fibril_late; 1/94