Pity

He’s like this 
at every gathering:

sullen
when acknowledging
friendly words —
contradiction by body
and face of true
response.  

Leaves people
guessing: is he for real?
serious? good? sick?
worth the bother?

Truth is,
he trusts few. 
Most compliments, 
he has found, are backed with
future darts and he has pulled
more than many from his back.

How long ago did that begin…

What a smart imperfect kid.  
What a less than complete package. 
What a festival of “if only.”

You think
you’re getting past that
with one slender hug
and a few slobbered, slippery
affirmations
because he smiles at you
a little. 

He smiles at you a little
because he thinks
you have a limited repertoire
of gestures and
do not know the definitions
of many effective words. 

Everyone present
is drowning in pity
which explains
why everyone present 
is holding their breath.