The three of us: Two users, one used

 

Used

By two women

At the same time.

 

One, controlling,

Which I recognized

Early on

And stepped back,

Only to be insulted.

Such is the ease of email.

 

The other, with other issues,

Trying to stoke jealousy

In another man

Rather than leaving him

Or taking other actions.

 

That, I did not see immediately,

Even as the two met in person,

And me, with my own issues,

Including slowness to anger,

Not yet upset by the first,

While not yet knowing

The manipulation of the second.

 

Sometimes, the webs we weave

Aren't even conscious,

Whether they deceive others,

Ourselves,

Or both.

 

You both know

Who you are

If you were to choose to admit it,

Should you be faced with this.

 

More than a decade later,

I know not where one of them is,

In terms of self or psyche.

The other claims

Depths of spiritual enlightenment;

If so, that too could be tested.

 

Humaste

To all three of us;

Per the Buddha,

I start with myself.