the real thing
gave me plenty of practice to pull from.
i play dumb
and i act scared 
but i know exactly what you’re doing.
i’ve had
my guts and my teeth
fall out and rearranged.
tip the bottle
just to open to your touch.
manipulation is just a little magic-
who do you think taught you these tricks?
we are well-behaved in public 
while waging a secret war.