synopsis of a conversation 

lin says   it's outrageous

he controls our very existence

i counter with

you don't know him   you're new at this

which sounds lame even to me

we exist beyond him at this point   i say

he could never write another word

and we would exist   alive in the imaginations 

of those who have come to know us

even if we cease to speak our thoughts

our thoughts will still resonate

people cannot unthink us 

not me not you

not colin or colin's grandfather

not marcy antoinette nathaniel 

samuel zoey amos hattie

clover or theolonious

certain not terri 

certainly not marketa

lin is burning

her hatred

is overwhelming

i cannot sort it out

is it better to exist as a figment

or not exist at all

existence is a word beyond my ken