ALONE
By John Herlihy

1
I sometimes find myself alone,
Pared down right to the bone.
Not a bird in sight,
Not a single flower growing in height.

2
I hear a clock in the other room ticking,
With the eerie rhythm of a metronome.
The sun’s shadows creep like flame on wicking.
They moves mysteriously on its own.

3
We can fill ourselves with laughter,
From the jokes of fellows and friends.
We can find mirth in disaster,
Attempting to balance life’s loose ends.

4
At night we fall into sleep alone.
When we make a decision, we are on our own.
When we make a mistake, we feel like stone.
Failure shoves us rudely into places unknown.

5
In a crowd, I am alone.
With a friend, I am on loan.
Strangers elicit an uncanny moan.
Among them, not of them, a lone tone.

6
Pure solitude means to be alone;
Where wisdom and revelation freely roam,
I prefer to make my own way,
That’s how I find my true home.

7
One divine verse I keep in my pocket;
It has the force of a soaring rocket.
God has spoken in words from afar:
“He is with you wherever you are.” (Quran 57:4)

8
Say what you will about sacred scripture,
Nothing offers us a clearer picture,
Who we are meant to be in this world,
Water and clay destined to be pearled.

9
When next you feel lonely,
Adrift on a vast sea asking why?
Do not be afraid to be alone,
Solitude will teach us how to live and die.