Feb 14th

the man talks

and you must

of course

listen

them’s the rules

he lives by

knows no other way

than this

stern style

of dissertation

of so-called chat

no back and forth

no tit for tat

his way

or the highway

his eyes are blank

anticipating

approbation

praise

but not participation

no discussion

it’s how he’s always

operated

in the world

of conversation

you try to coax

to steer

to wheedle

clear a path

kelpie bitch you are

hard at it

herding sheep

trying to keep him

in the loop

of some

exchange

some interface

some mutual

recognition

of the fact

that he has no idea

of how

to play

this ancient game

we call

communication.

linktr.ee/janeclifton