I came, a newcomer,
scared, alone, wanting
desperately to leave.
I came in late and you stopped
what you were doing
to say I was welcome,
to tell me the ridiculous lie
that I was the most important
person there. What a crock!
You started the meeting,
reading things almost in monotone
like you’re read them for years
without changing a single word.
You gave me a chip for being new,
said to put the plastic under my tongue
and when it melted I could eat anything.
Silly doesn’t begin to describe it.
You read some things then talked,
started by saying your name
and chanting that you
were a compulsive overeater,
then you told stories that made me shake
because you’d been spying on me,
watching me. I wanted to run.
You got through, wanted to hug me,
told me to keep coming back.
You acted like a bunch of halfwits!
So why did I feel so much like I
was one of you?