the difference between a writer and a loser by Bogdan Dragos

"Look," she said, "I no longer
want smart men around me.
I had enough of that
species. They can
all drop down
and die.
The last fucker who was
smart
was this student
who made me fall a bit too
in love with him
and then put his career over me.
Suddenly all the things
I did for him
mattered no more."

"Oh, well," he said, "me, I'm not
smart."

"Nice try," she said. "but you already
told me you're a writer.
You write poems an' stuff."

"That don't make one smart,"
he said. "Writers aren't
scientists, you know? They're
more like thugs,
criminals. It's all about
having a natural talent
with lies, telling
stories.
I haven't even gone to college."

"What?" she said, "Even I went
to college."

"Well," he said, "I didn't."

"Hmm, say, you wouldn't just say
that to get in my
pants, would you? I feel like
you're using your
lying talent here right now."

"Pff, don't worry about it.
Stay with me long
enough and you'll discover
I'm not too good with that
either. I write
a lot of crap."

"Um, and that's not what
all writers say
about themselves?"

He shrugged. "How would I know?
I never speak to
other writers."

"Well, shit, from what you've
said so far
you're quite the... loser. I said
I don't want no smart guy,
but that don't immediately mean I
want a loser, you know?"

"I'm not a loser. I'm a writer. The
difference is that a writer
is a loser who capitalizes on his
misery by sharing it
with other people.
So, you gonna join in and
give me something new
to write about, or
should I look elsewhere?"

She lit a cigarette
and nodded twice
as she exhaled the smoke,
a war of thoughts versus
emotions in her eyes,
all over her face

She then offered him
a cigarette and he
accepted