Experts Say

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it is best, when experiencing behavior issues

with your dog to take them on a long walk. I have,

after some time, started to see why this makes sense.

exhaust the mammal so it no longer has energy for destructive

tendencies. if I were not living in the twenty-first century

and did not have a semi-reliable Honda to releases black molecules

full of waste and harmful chemicals into the air, how would

I exhibit my behavior issues? all mental health experts

and psychologists have leaflets full of answers and explanations.

you are this way because you are not that way. the semi-gloss

matte used to print complex diagrams of the human psyche onto

those leaflets makes the heavy cardstock non-recyclable.

the paper has behavior issues, refusing to be repurposed.

there is an at-home remedy. I am sure. the expert that

answers my video call eats ice chips from a Red Solo Cup

the entire time I talk about my problems. the link to the portal

did not work the first two or three times, so she had to send

me the email again. eventually, the portal opened and thank

god. now my boyfriend can eavesdrop from the other room.

it’s just, I keep ripping into bags of sourdough bread and

cream cheese while he is at work. I also continue to talk about

my discontent when he gets home, and unfortunately, it feels

like he is tugging on the end of the rope. instead of standing

on my own two feet like a human, I growl from the toe-side of

his tube sock. if I were not living in the twenty-first century

and could not whisper prayers of gratitude after driving by

the scene of car accident, would I go out and hunt for destruction?

would I walk among abandoned homes and oddly love the taste

of dirty water against my throat as I lap it up? would the mice

and woodland creatures become my friends, all of us licking clean

the insides of empty food wrappers and calling it survival.

I have decided to stay silent and ignore all experts in hopes

that someday, someone will appear with a brand-new,

cappuccino sofa set I can tear into with my sharp teeth

the second they turn their back.



Emma Jane Sullivan is a writer and artist living in Springfield, Missouri. She is currently teaching and studying in the Department of English at Missouri State University. She is currently working on a novel. This is her first publication.

NOVUS Literary and
Arts Journal
Lebanon, TN