Lonely

She lies in silence in her corner room, so restless in the center of her bed, recalling vows she made so long ago. "For better for worse"--sweet words she said. "For richer for poorer," she had vowed. "Love, honor, and obey" came from the heart. Their lives became as one; their beings joined. How could such unity be torn apart? How many evenings has she sat alone and asked her soul-deep questions of the night, here in her little corner of their world where shattered dreams might be imagined right? He sits in silence in another room in his domain for evening's retreat, recalling one fine day so long ago when promises and kisses were so sweet. The golden bands, the wedding cake, her lace-- bright images of love that's just begun-- grew dim with time, and oneness slowly died like waning brightness of the setting sun. How many evenings has he sat alone and wrestled with the loneliness he feels, here in his little corner of their world, regretting what his shadowed thoughts reveal? written over thirty years ago December 30, 2018, entered in Mark Toney's 2019 Poetry Marathon, Mile 7 Placed 9th of 10 Date: October 8, 2020 Contest: Impress Me with an Old Poem (002) Placed 5th Sponsor: Poet Destroyer A September 15, 2021 Entered in the "L" Poetry Contest placed 2nd Sponsor: Constance La France