the rescuer

finding a depth in the
vulnerable person
standing before him---
a hole he feels needs filling
by someone compassionate,
by someone who would just
listen,
he moves closer to her &
offers his hand in help,
he offers his heart in hope that
what he feels to be his own
deficiencies & idiosyncrasies,
will somehow mesh with hers
as if the rescue itself would ensure it---
and for a while her surrender is one
that creates a new place for the both of them,
a context that neither of them needs
in order to promote personal growth &
independence---
nevertheless, the codependence that has
bloomed,
eats at the both of them,
if for any better reason than that they are no longer
the vulnerable individuals that they once were &
because the present situation has become
frustrating at best,
sleepless, paranoid eyes
begin to look around for blame,
inevitably taking them both back to
the moment when the rescue
began.