When You Were a Joy Whore

The black-eyed Susans were blooming
In the ditch along the highway
And the skies were screaming with
Dying stars offering one last promise
As they heated the night.
You walked tall and long,
And laughed with strangers
Who strained towards you
In a familiarity that made you feel
Chosen. You drank champagne
With gin and tapped your foot
To a song from the past
That reminded you of the fresh hope
You once had. With a pounding heart
You swam into dangerous waves and
Tasted the new air of a place you’d never been
And will never return except for
That one time. The end of that summer
When you were a joy whore.