an abridged list of people who abandoned me 

my mom
my dad
my sister
dorene
dana
the lawyer i talked to about emancipation in high school
sara because i was too loud and smart
katie because i was too focused and smart 
meredith and the cousins because i was too liberal
sean because i refused to stagnate
andrea because i refused to stand still
rachel because i was not a priority
lydia because i was not sober 
nicole because i was too complicated 
libby because i refused to support her abuser
katy because i refused to stagnate 
olivia because i was too loud and smart
cynthia because i was community over corporate
emily because i refused to lie 
ray because i refused to lie
deb because i refused to lie
greg because i refused to lie