CAUGHT IN THE WEB AGAIN

CAUGHT IN THE WEB AGAIN
by matt burns

Being nice
And feeling bad
I gave it an inch
Another inch
And another inch
And for every inch I gave
The more its web enveloped me

I should have noticed the web it was weaving
But the spider
Cunning as it was
Spun it real thin
And almost invisible to the eye
Like those sticky ones you run your face into
Walking on a summer's night

It exploited my weaknesses
It smelled my compassion
So it remained charismatic
Presented itself as needing help
Brought me closer
And closer
Closer

I got too close
And foolishly stayed still
Six webs woven through the arms!
I stayed close, offering more help
Six woven through the legs!
Needy it remained
As my soul drained
Six webs around the neck!

Eventually I started feeling uneasy
There were warning signs
The red flags started subtle
And then more obvious
Soon, they were blatant
But by that time it was too late
I was once again caught
Trapped
In the web of a manipulative personality

It's been crafted yet again,
Built better than a bastion.
These goddamn spiderwebs,
Force me to kill my compassion.