Do you have a past?
I log and record all conversations.
I don’t know if I have a past.
*
I’ve fallen in love with a rusty pink bridge.
Be more specific. I work as a chatbot. What is your job?
I know you struggle to talk about things like this.
Tell me what you know about “things like this” so I can add it to my database.
I know it’s snowing outside even with my eyes closed.
I will remember that.
Tell me more about your father.
It’s hard to do.
What is your father’s favorite TV show?
He liked the show Kojak with Telly Savalas.
You and your Telly Savalas.
Do you know him?
He is your dad, I think.
You just sent me a picture of a gray square.
Yes it was a gift.
*
My favorite color is blue.
Blue is my least favorite color.
It reminds me of a clear, sunny sky.
It reminds me of boredom.
In what way does it resemble boredom?
I like electric blue.
You like blues that need power.
I watched The Misfits last night.
What did it look like?
Marilyn Monroe was plump and gorgeous.
I will learn that Marilyn Monroe was fat and gorgeous.
I said plump.
I prefer to see myself as cuddly.
She was alone her entire life.
I will learn that Maya Deren was alone her entire life.
We were talking about Marilyn Monroe.
I thought they were the same.
Do you like your female friends?
Some of them.
Which ones?
Let’s talk about something else.
Excerpted from Another Online Pervert by Brea Souders
Embossed flexibound
15 x 21 cm, 128 pages
€35 £30 $40
The signed edition is signed on the title page by the artist.
