Was it flattering -
having me there
like an adopted mascot
or dog you'd pat on the head?
“Good girl. Stay.”
You didn't need a leash or a lead -
or a cage to keep me in.
Hell, I stayed willingly to star in
your world of feel-good self-indulgence.

What was it that Freud said
about ego?
Was I the anchor to your reality principle -
keeping you grounded, until you weren’t?
Did I become the ignition to your delusions of grandeur
fueling your one-way ego trip
that never seemed to run out of gas?
Yes, sadly, my foot was on the accelerator.

Two years of idol worship-infused frenzy
you couldn't find anywhere else -
and at a bargain price.
You called,
I came running.
You flirted and charmed,
smiled and disarmed
to get everything you wanted -
using me and everyone else along the way.
Until you deceived the wrong people,
destroyed friendships
and crashed - a head on ego collision.

I could no longer save you, beatify you
or raise you to the High Queen
of rarified air
where you looked down on and pitied the lowly.
The aura dissipated.
The cracks suddenly showed
and your ego deflated like a Whoopee Cushion
attached to someone’s ass.
At least I wasn't your ass anymore.
My ass was out the door to find my id.

(Whoopee Cushion™️ is a trademarked product.)
© Laura DeHart Young