Do you know the difference
between alone and lonely?
I love being alone
walking among trees
wading in the water on the seashore
listening to the silence of the night
smelling the roses in my garden
I am not lonely then, and
I can be alone
I am lonely when
no one asks
how I am doing
no one asks
is there anything I can do
no one calls
just to talk about nothing
no one listens
to what I have to say
I am very lonely then
When the only time someone calls is
when they
need something
when they
have a problem I must listen to
when their
issues become the focus of every encounter
I am lonely
How do I tell people
I am afraid
how do I tell people
I can’t cope
how do I tell people
I need them to keep
the loneliness away
I know about dark times
I have had dark times
I have lived through dark times
I am not sure I will live
through this dark time
Ruth Jewell, ©January 27, 2021
A Quiet Walk 