Throw me a bone

Throw me a bone

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I ran into a man I’d known

Forty-some years ago. We’d

Helped each other, a rich

Connection, I thought.

I sought reunion, renewal.

He offered superficial chat,

Dismissal. While telling this story,

Last night, another few years later,

I got it. We’d never had friendship;

We’d had a business transaction.

That realization

Triggered examination

Of the several times I offered “love”

In exchange

For any bone of affection.

Ah, the stories we make up

To get us through the day.

I ran into a man I’d known

Forty-some years ago. We’d

Helped each other, a rich

Connection, I thought.

I sought reunion, renewal.

He offered superficial chat,

Dismissal. While telling this story,

Last night, another few years later,

I got it. We’d never had friendship;

We’d had a business transaction.

That realization

Triggered examination

Of the several times I offered “love”

In exchange

For any bone of affection.

Ah, the stories we make up

To get us through the day.

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