you can trap them
lure them in with fickle things
money clothing false promises
until they believe they've made the right choice
they'll walk in willingly and lock the door behind themselves
and they'll be yours
or you can suppress them
if you have the system in place to do it
there are cultures that believe in arranged marriages
political marriages a joining of two houses
let tradition make the decisions,
lest you be forced to bear the consequences
or you can break them
make them feel as if they can't do any better
make them feel this fear of dying alone until
you've taken everything from them
leave them crippled and constantly in need
of you, the only one who can help
you can fool them you can blackmail them
you can bribe them you can exploit them
you can inch your way closer slowly
and chip away at their heart a little every day
you can even learn how to be alone
or...
you can build a meaningful, mutually beneficial,
sustainable relationship with another human being
but goddamn, it seems as daunting
as trying to hit a dartboard on the moon
maybe it's worth trying, I mean
what do you have to lose? well,
time is all you have so consider carefully
how you spend it because that's what you have to lose
but don't be so afraid to fail
that you never cock back your hand and throw a dart or two
Disclaimer:
these are all purely speculative
theoretical strategies
a work in progress
whose end is nowhere in sight
your results may vary,
and you hereby agree to try this
at your own risk
January, 2023