Spineless

Amicable smile minus warmth.

Regulating, calculating, insinuating,

Control.

Pre-registered response.

Fixed and fixed again.

Advance knowledge prevents

    the pain of waking.

Fragile fake—

or is it fake fragile?

Don’t know, don’t care.

Don’t lie.

Intimacy reveals a small, soft mollusk,

No shell.

No protection.

No spine.

Poison is the chosen defense—

The lie, the cheat, the game.

Held at arms length—

All is fair play.