THE GAME
For months now I’ve been
playing hard to get with
myself—ignoring my phone
calls, barely acknowledging
my presence in the mirror.
When through my dreams
I hear intimations of love
I roll over in bed and face
the other way. Little notes
of affection and flirtation
that appear daily in the mailbox
go unanswered. Slowly
I have become more and more
invisible to myself. Only
yesterday I noticed I walked
without a shadow and the day
before that in the storefront
window I watched as my
reflection left with someone
else. What would make a man
do such a thing? What could
he possibly have to gain by
pursuing such a strategy?
—from Rattle #18, Winter 2002
__________
Glenn W. Cooper: “I live and write in Tamworth, Australia. I like rainy weather and junk food. When I’m not writing, I can be found worshipping at the altar of Bob Dylan. Ideally, I would like a life that didn’t require my presence.”
