Stolen Gratification

He lives within me,
quietly, he thinks.
 

But there are levers

and buttons within

his reach. The pilot’s seat

used to be his post.
 


He’s lost control now,

though he’s left alone.


There are feelings he

can manipulate.

He feels the tingle

of anxiety

in the lower part

of the gut. He learned

to soothe the tension,

use his hand to change

anxious feelings

to desire. Alone,

with no one to share,

he finds his pleasure

by himself. He takes

fading moments from

memory’s crowded shelf.

He uses them all

to make a climax

for himself alone.