needy

s/he lives life from one to the next
hopping along the jilted lovers like
a frog going from stone to stone
just above the water’s edge,
because to be alone for only a few seconds
would terrify this person to the point of
self-awareness &
the looking in the mirror to recognize for a
moment
that what is looking back really ain’t that
lovable,
would shatter the permissible prowess
with which s/he functions
with which s/he holds her/his only power,
for that is what defines them,
the ability to select & use
to feed on the compassion of another
who thinks their aim is to rescue or to
delight, to make interesting the life of someone
who seemed so lost, or so in
need
of a place to stay, a heart pumping, ripe for
the taking &
this needy one can’t go without somebody
listening to the sound of their voice &
proving to them that they are not yet
abandoned.