First of all do not engage, this is the most important rule and all the following rules hinge on this rule.
Do not talk to the subject at any point.
Do not call or text the subject.
Do not engage in any form.
Do not go up to the subject and say “Hello”
Do not start a conversation with the subject. Do not make the subject laugh.
Do not make the subject feel safe or understood.
Do not tell the subject your secrets.
Do not ask the subject their interests.
Do not act interested when the subject answers you.
Do not pretend to think the subject is normal when they ramble on about their interests.
Do not let them get carried away with telling you everything about themselves.
Do not tell them that you understand.
Do not make them feel comfortable or happy.
Do not listen to what they tell you about themselves, do not pretend to.
Do not tell them you get their pain.
Do not say you’re sorry.
Do not promise not to hurt them.
Do not hold their hand.
Do not kiss them or hold them when they cry.
Do not make them dinner and take care of them when they are sick.
Do not tell them all the things they want to hear.
Do not be nice or kind to the subject.
Do not wait for them to do these things for you.
Do not enjoy it when they do.
Do not slowly start to realize who they are.
Do not think their bad days are few and far between.
Do not start to think it’s too much.
Do not wonder when they will change.
Do not look at them with distain or disappointment.
Do not be surprised that they meant all the things they said. When they told you they were not like you. When they said, “no one stays when they know me”
When they told you about everyone else who can only handle them a little at a time.
But mostly not at all.
Because they said it from the beginning.
But the rose was too perfect and showed you it’s thorns.
But you picked it anyway and thought it would never hurt.
But those thorns were built by time, an effort to survive.
So if you aren’t willing to bleed and care for the subject.
If you will just walk away when the subject is all the things they warned you about.
Under no circumstances should you let the subject think you mean it, when you
tell them to be themselves if you don’t know what all that means.
Don’t expect them to be like you, or anyone else, the subject is unique.
Do not lie to yourself that you know what it’s like to be them.
Do not think you know them like they do.
They’ve lived with themselves for a lifetime.
You’ll never love them like they do.
About the Creator
Raine Fielder
Raine has been writing poetry since she was in seventh grade. She has written several poems, song lyrics, short stories and eight books. Writing is her main purpose.
https://linktr.ee/RaineFielder
I will NEVER use AI for anything I create.
Keep reading
More stories from Raine Fielder and writers in Poets and other communities.
Standing While Falling
Quotation from Friedrich Nietzsche "He who wrestles long with monsters should beware lest he himself become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you. Man is not destroyed by suffering, but by the meaning he makes of it."
By LUCCIAN LAYTH4 days ago in Critique
Comments (2)
This feels painfully real. What a powerful piece.
The thing is we are creatures influenced by our environment. We are all chameleons. Some evil chameleons.