Lonely

Yes it's true that I have by-gone friends that I once knew. Sometimes I pause to recall such friends, Realizing I will never see most of these friends again. The times and seasons now are different from those I once knew. In my childhood, there was a very close friend that I once knew. My friend and I would sat by the window for a view, especially on Sunday afternoons and in winters when there was little for us to do. We'd take a view of an empty road and rail line just beyond our garden. Most times, there wasn't much of anything of significant to watch, but we always hoped to see something more, something different. We thought that by chance something, someone, would come along, and maybe blow their horn or perhaps wave at us. So many places we'd never been; many things we'd never seen before. Sometimes, little things helped to even the score. Lonely was my friend's name, and all of our lives through high school, Lonely and I had been the best of friends. We were as one, like two peas in a hull. Lonely was me, and I was Lonely. Lonely and I grew up in such a backward place; One of extreme limitations where time left us standing still; One of aspiring, dreaming, and longing for a sense of belonging. For a long season, for a myriad of reasons, my friend Lonely and I did many things and shared many unique experiences together. My friend Lonely was a state of being that refused to awake, and he preferred to be embraced by a deep-ache that pills could not erase. After high school, Lonely and I came to realize that we were not good for each other and parted ways. There were priceless packages behind every curtain of Lonely, wrapped and sealed, but never delivered. Some said that Lonely should be left alone to exhaust his own deep sleep. Furthermore, they suggested that someday he would be strong, and for that reason he should be allowed to find his own way home. I guess that inside of me, there will always be that stubborn streak, finding ways to disagree. But to a large degree, in Lonely's case, I would agree. Moreover, many years ago, I was forced to disconnect from Lonely and release him. At some point, I think that Lonely should be confronted with kindness in a tender manner concerning the issues of his isolation. Just as I disconnected and released Lonely from myself, we must seek to speak to him with love, and in time he too can be set free from himself. 082621PSCtest, "L" Contest New Or Old, Constance La France. 4P