It's funny, sometimes you start off with the intent of writing something, but then four lines later, you've gone in a completely different direction.

---

I was playing with him, tossing out conversation starters. When I say that, it sounds like tossing meat to a hungry dog, but in my case, it was as though the dog were already well-fed and content to watch the strange projectiles land squarely on its nose. Every topic was met and finished in a sentence or two. I somehow wanted to break down all these barriers, thinking that things were not like they used to be. When I thought about it, of course, I realized that they actually are, only I never noticed it.

Then, looking at the mess I made, with all those uneaten pieces lying on the floor, I thought to myself "Man, I have to get rid of that dog".