That Guy

You know that guy, he's always rehearsing, practicing, chasing a better version of himself. He's fit, the way a sparrow is fit enough to find crumbs. You know this woman, she loves poetry, but the words she reads must be pretty and never say a damn thing, she loves any art-form that she does not understand. She is wise, the way we think of wise owls, but the bird must be dead and stuffed first. You know this chameleon, it slips in and out of the light basking in an illumined sense of approval. It will change its persona to win a smile. It’s a people pleaser, but the pleasing is just for itself. You know my voice, it’s the echo of a barking dog marooned in a high tower. You hear it, and you just know that it has separation syndrome, and like any other dog, it will keep barking until it feels your pain.