"negative feedback"

please.
stop this.
i can't hide it anymore.

i hate you.
you ruin everything.
the one chance i had,
the one time it was really great –
you hid it from me.
you took all that i had hoped for and dreamed of.

you threw it away under the stars of the sands of the whistling desert
whistling like a sugar-lipped snake.
that one night.
that one stupid stupid night.

killing me.
tempting me.
eating my soul for lunch,
three times a day with extra helpings of lard.

i never wanted you.
all i wanted was art.
love.
music.
poetry.
sand.
her.

i'll never let you win again.
you can't fool me.
i'm not your toy.
i don't love you.

go away.
go to hell.
i'm not coming.
you can't take me with you.
you've led me far enough.
this time i'm leaving you behind.
now,
finally,
i've learned my lesson.

too late.

t
o
o

damned
late.

written by Dave Harris and originally published in the Spring 1999 issue of the Mountain View High School Icarus as "Please Stop"