Interpretation

INTERPRETATION

As the old adage says, “Misery loves company…”
Why is this?

Does misery need the sadness of others
to fill its rumbling stomach?

Does it feed off of collective doubts and negativity
to satiate a growing hunger,
then sit back, satisfied and gloating,
quietly wiping its greasy lips
and picking flesh from between its animal teeth?

What do the guests do in the meantime?
         Do they make small talk among
         themselves while they cast nervous glances
         at their malicious companion?

         Or do they raise their glasses in the
         flickering candlelight, and gossip like school girls,
         while their gaping mouths laugh mechanically,
         and their own sharpened canines glint
         devilishly in the near-darkness?

Do topics for discussion revolve around
past failures and humiliations?

Are subjects for future disappointments conjured
from the dry, black dust of obliterated dreams,
and left to simmer on a stove fueled by the
rage of the self-righteous and vindictive?
         
         They are waiting for their moment…
         ready to drain the life from your veins…

Yes, “misery loves company”, but this is one party
that will ultimately bleed you dry…