Tom Charles Bair III

Upon Learning That Multiple Personality Syndrome Is Not a Thing
Who do I have to pay 
To affirm all of me. I’ll begin the essay
Every time I can afford therapy
I am already in it, and I’ll go on
To talk about my heroes, 
Who were the kinds of narcissists 
That devoured rooms
And my performed lack of confidence
Like an apple tree whose apples
Have stars at the center. 
One way to get through work is to be reflective. 
Another: let the rhythm carry you. 
The problem, of course, with both of these so-called solutions
Is that they do not guarantee 
Satisfaction. Only
The work of insects falls upon the shoulders of insects
A season of hamburgers with tar for meat

***

Tom Charles Bair III is a Chemistry teaching resident in Pittsburgh, PA. Poems, stories, games, and essays have recently appeared in The Fabulist Words & Art and The Interactive Fiction Competition. He holds an MFA from the University of Pittsburgh.

Twitter: @Pilate_Lite

Twitch: PilateLite