Years ago and many days in the past
you owned me with orders.
To call you a mere pest
would be a sincere and gross understatement.
As for the loss of my mind,
never mind my words.
You can hear nothing but your own voice.
Hysteria washed over me. I shook.
And like a Christ-built vice
you held me like a condemned man.

But I am almost immune to you, for the time being.
I was your slave for much too long.
And though I hear you, I can’t gather what you’re saying.
If I had a choice I would rather walk a tightrope across the Atlantic.
This I would do.
Undo your ties completely.
Though I greatly appreciate you giving me a long leash.
When one thinks of me, they will think of you.
When you were hungry, my brain was a much-needed feast.
We don’t much like one another, but we’re each other’s company.