Two Poems

How to escape a Skinner box

Electronic relationships are the easiest to erase
Reject all phone calls, Blacklist the number, Block him everywhere
Just hit the ‘delete’ button and it’s all over
Go without talking to him this minute and you can
Go the next and the next and for every minute after that
As if nothing had ever happened.
If one plus one is no longer infinity
Cut him off;
Erase all memories as though you had never met or known or understood or loved
This man; Like no one had ever known or loved or understood you.
Remember how big the world is and how little you are in it,
How ephemeral your feelings and fallacious your knowledge
Remind yourself: you are just five senses and
He, seventy-two-point-six percent water;
If this river runs its course
Let it
What would remain of you but
A few photographs (delete them)
A song (change the soundtrack)
And the feelings after rosé-induced baby talk?
Ignore, ignore all stimuli and chant this like a mantra:
In a twenty-six letter world, eight are negligible
Only one is holy
‘I’

Escape.

***

Wendy Kroy

Your attempts to win her over are
The tale of Sisyphus’ life-
Her wounded eyes, the spider’s snare
When you lose yourself between her thighs, prepare
To have her endless legs crush your neck-
She’ll trap you in her web of lies
Smile when you meet her
Kiss her even; But be aware-
Of that pistol in your pocket
Never forget this: If you hesitate to kill her
She will kill you; Beware-
This is a woman to be worshipped, not loved;
Aspire to no more than being her designated fuck,
Whatever you do keep your opinions to yourself
If she wanted the truth, she’d torture it out of you;
Remember she likes her men like her drinks
Stiff, blue
Don’t try to run or hide
You may be damned if you do but
You’re dead if you don’t
For the moment, prepare

To be snuffed out like her hourly cigarettes.

***