Dinner For One

I don’t need to be wined and dined—

don’t mistake a meal

for access.

I’d rather be fed knowledge

than something plated

with expectation,

with obligation,

with entitlement.

I’ll pay my own—

if a paid bill

comes with assumptions,

implications

of what I’ll owe—

things I refuse to fulfill.

No—

I’m far too divine for that.

I’d rather eat alone.