Alternately, give her a mirror and tell her you found a gray hair.

Two Susans!! Why didn't I think of that?? I am going to put that ace up my sleeve for the next time I need a way out.

I tried using a mirror once but it didn't work.

This is really great. The title made me actually laugh out loud. I think everyone has a Susan in their life who makes them want to claw their eyes out. The trick is to find two Susans and get them to talk to each other, because they’re the only people who will actually deal with each other’s BS and they’ll cut everyone else out of the conversation.

> Did you deliberately use script as a pun on a play as in people "play-acting" in the "drama of life"?

Not really, I choose script to signify how much of our small talk (at least for the responding party) is just a script we follow i.e. *"oh how interesting", "is that so", "huh", "wow, really?"* 

This is the third poem today whose title has caught my attention! I LOVE the topic. We have all been the unwilling victim of such prattle. I like the repetition of "Small talk" and the way you delve into the topics surrounding "small talk". I also like the way you end each stanza with the emotions of a person hopelessly trapped in such a situation. This technique really helps build the tone of the poem. The way you build up from a room to an exchange to a moment in time to a play also builds up the tension. Did you deliberately use script as a pun on a play as in people "play-acting" in the "drama of life"? (not sure if that should be pun or double entendre...feel free to correct me) 

My favorite line is "fold myself up and slip myself through he walls". THAT was visually pleasing and incredibly creative. This sets a tone for how frustrated the "victim" is. "just give me a moment to breathe" HOW many times have we wanted to say that to someone?

This is a great piece!

I enjoyed the title, that's a really good use of a title! It immediately sets the tone and could be considered both beginning and end. 

I did like the rest of the piece too, but its the title that's really done it for me. 

I love the use of " Talking at my face". I have been in this moment so many times with people I would call acquaintances, yet act like relations. Just talking at me, robotic, and matching everyone's protocol for existing. Feigned interest, weather, other acquaintance, work, misc event, goodbye. Loved it!

I liked this. It spoke volumes to me. I want to use Susan to describe s while group of people
You see I feel left out and annoyed. Don't fit in with my own kind. Alot of them in the own group I grew up with. O don't even know who they were until I read this.
They are susan.

Lovely hahaha. Reminds me a bit of No Thank You, John by Christina Rossetti

I absolutely love the sudden, eery shift in tone that I felt as soon as the poem mentions the domestic abuse. The narrator begins as a relatable person going through an everyday introverted struggle, and the small talk begins uninteresting, insignificant. However, they say a lot about the narrator’s character - not only does the narrator seem completely uninterested in voting or any sort of politics,  they are also uninterested in the domestic abuse, the violence, and the imperfection in the world around them. The mindset of depression and apathy is captured completely in such a subtle, concise manner, making this poem an enjoyable read. 

I love the relatability; I’m sure everyone’s thought this but you’ve managed to capture it, and so eloquently! I also love the repetition of things like “small talk” and “maybe”, adding to the feeling of monotony in the conversation.

Small talk      
about the holidays    
new year, new you    
maybe you'll go paleo—    
*there's no way out of this room*    

Small talk    
about the weather    
mudslides and ice patches    
maybe you'll buy new boots—    
*there's no way out of this exchange*    

Small talk    
about the community    
the alderman is up for re-election    
maybe you'll remember to vote—    
*there's no way out of this moment*    

Small talk    
about the neighbors    
always screaming and banging    
maybe you'll call the cops later—    
*there's no way out of this script*    

If I could    
I would fold myself up      
slip through the walls    
and disappear forever        
but you're here, talking at my face    
with the expectation of geniality                  
so just give me a moment         
to think up some bullshit      
just give me a moment           
to breathe.    


[1](https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/comments/7pq2og/do_what/dsjgh5i/), [2](https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/comments/7pnydu/m1_moterway/dsjfppy/)






Oh my God, shut up Susan.