When two people converse
But always on the second’s turf,
How does the first know
Whether the second cares?
They conduct an experiment—
Be their own turf king,
Stop conversing until where
Changes, not when.
But what if all conversations
Between the first and the rest
Are because he initiates?
How can he know the problem wasn’t just him?
And so was born
An innocent experiment:
He shall begin no conversations
No not one.
The antisocial element
Is quite perverse,
But perhaps this verse
Will wipe away the tears
Should it prove that the problem is him.
© 2014 H.K. Longmore