Exit Interview
by Laurel Young, 1974
You thought I was your prisoner
and so you laughed and
felt secure.
Little did you know that
it was you who was
prisoner in your own trap,
A web woven of aesthetic ideas
and traces of doubt,
selfishness and greed.
I hear your clapping,
a threatening sound,
But you are clapping for yourself,
not for anyone else.
The sound echoes in my mind
as I turn to go.
I have never been able
to turn my back on
someone in need of help,
But this time I must.
I can save myself but
if I turn to pull you
from a whirlpool you do not
wish to leave,
We both would surely drown.