not so smart

you'd like to believe
that you are smart, really
intuitive and
clever. wise beyond
words, until you meet
someone who is much
more intelligent than
you'll ever pretend to be.
this makes you shut
your mouth, go silent.
it's humbling, to say
the least, and troubling.
you begin to doubt
yourself and challenge
your dog to a game of
scrabble. it's no contest
of course, he can't spell
at all, which makes him
feel bad. he goes over to
the fish tank to play
tic tac toe, but they don't
seem to care, which
shows how brilliant
they really are.