Lonely No More

It was hard to accept my husband’s death I believed I could never love again At the age of twenty-four I resolved I no longer wanted to bond with men Birthdays flew by with no celebrations Though I was the youngest of three children I never had a family of my own Holidays made me feel loneliest then It took more than years; decades in fact passed Before I noticed elderly couples Walking hand-in-hand, strolling city streets And my feelings of loneliness doubled When the old woman next door died alone So few came to her funeral service I brought flowers, knelt gently by her grave Bowed my head and realized I was nervous All of my friends were happily married And though they invited me to their homes For many picnics, weddings and parties I was never comfortable standing alone But visiting St. Patrick’s Cathedral I realized that I'd not been alone I lit candles for departed loved ones And basked in glory of the light they shone Comforted by the presence of our Lord I turned and opened the cathedral’s door When a kind man retrieved my fallen scarf Together we remain, lonely no more