Loneliness

What is loneliness?

Is it reaching back into the far corners of your mind, grasping for memories that no longer existed?

Is it waking up in the middle of the night because your side was cold, and there was no one there to warm it?

Or maybe it’s the absence of happiness that came with that person you thought you loved. Like light, that left a room, and only darkness remained.

Maybe, in fact, it’s just you missing all the pretty little things that fell from that person’s mouth, and not the person at all.

Who can really say what loneliness is?

I can.

It’s a disease. A disease that spreads throughout your body, leaving you numb.

It’s an animal in the night, a predator that stalks you, that doesn’t let you forget what happened, that things could have been good, but you screwed it up, and left yourself with this darkness living inside you, a sadness that swims throughout your body, leaving you groping the sheets at night, curling yourself into a ball.

Loneliness is a thief, robbing you of all the happiness you thought was rightfully yours. But it’s not. It never is. Because love is an illusion. We think it exists, but it really doesn’t. It tricks us into believing that there is something better, but there never is. Why would there be? After all, it’s a dog eat dog world out there, and your tossed into it, with nothing in your hands, and no clothes on your back. You’re expected to survive in it, to learn to fight, gnash heartlessly at anything that tries to get in your way. Because that’s how you’re trained, to fend for yourself. Survival of the fittest. That’s all it ever was. That’s all it’s ever going to be. You can’t expect anyone to have your back, because everyone’s too busy fighting beasts off their own backs.

You’re left out in the cold, with nothing to depend on but yourself.

Because you are, in fact, alone.

Author's Note

Sorry, I was ranting. This may seem a bit dark and depressing and I apologize for that.

Reviews

[Karen]

There is no need to apologize for expressing raw emotions. All writers write for different genres depending on their moods... that's what makes us poets and writers. This is a sad piece but one that makes me ponder the term and emotion of feeling lonely. In fact, I personally believe that there is somewhat of a difference between loneliness and being alone. I don't mind being alone, but being lonely penetrates the soul, leaving it cold and forlorn. Great ranting and writing!

[Nick]

Loneliness is good for reflection, and can be a most productive status.

Great poem.

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

This was a nice "emotional purging"... I can relate to the ideas and feelings of loneliness in this, and you have expressed it well. I think we all come to these dark hallways at some point in our lives, but there is usually always a light at the end of the tunnel. Keep going, keep writing.

[Ranger Nadaly]

Its a good piece, but I don't find it dark or depressing.
Something you can think about though, is changing the word "it" in the third question in the intro to "you".

[Wolfwind]

A powerful outpouring of emotions. It invokes a thought within me. "It is tough when one is separated from the rest of all else, isolated within a barrier of social differences... Loneliness is a state of mind that we choose or not to choose to accept during such social duress."

I'm odd, in that I've never minded being alone. In fact...there are many times that being isolated has been the one thing that kept me sane.

Thanks for sharing your ink!
Aaron - Wolfwind

[JordanIsaacSmith]

Great piece of writing. Not so sure if I'd call it a poem, but a great piece of writing all the same. Powerful emotions in here. Never a nice way to feel, good work.

[Amber Daniel]

Thank you :) I agree though, it isn't really a poem but I wasn't sure whwt category it fell under.

[Sarah L]

Lovely, and well written.

[Amber Daniel]

Thank you :)