I saw him in the back of the room
a wide space between him and the crowd
no one acknowledged his presence
he was…a non-entity
it was a self-imposed exile
however unintended
I wanted to feel sorry for him
sipping his drink in silence
amidst all the gaiety and laughter
but I’d felt the brunt of his arrogance
knew without question…
his shunning was well deserved
while we all toasted and had fun
sharing stories and jokes in camaraderie
he was unable to join in
he just stood there…
pretending he was part of the group
it’s a dangerous thing…power
too easy to misuse
he liked to flex his muscles now and then
show others he was better than them
pound his chest over his glorified status
yet here he was…
…absolutely alone…
…in the middle of a party
I wanted to feel sorry for him
but all those bridges burnt down…
…he lit all the matches
I enjoyed your poem. Paul McCartney famously wrote the lyric, “And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”
Thank you, Angel Louise 😊
Even after the bridge is a smoldering pile you still can not feel anything. Once its gone, it’s gone.
Truth. Thank you, Fia 😊
Powerfully penned, Willow. Another excellent write with amazing storytelling my friend. Unfortunately power brings out the worst in humans. Almost like no one person should ever have that much power because it will corrupt them over time. Nicely done as always. Appreciate you.
Damian
It’s true. Occasionally it can be diffused. Not often though. In this case, he was a team lead who liked to flout his title from time to time. When they decided to make him a supervisor, I went to management and listed my concerns categorically. They promised to have a word with him and he changed his behavior immediately. In the end, I became his assistant for a while. He’s since left the team, but he never allowed himself to really be part of it. It was sad in a “get what you sow” kinda way. Thank you, my friend