One January Night

She can't blame the season for her tears Aloneness was not loneliness in December When the season passed so quickly in disguise Of twinkling lights and toasts remembered Alone, but never lonely in the unforgettable place Of crowds, and smiles, and friendliness that has gone away Now, in the utter dark, she cries without a face And closes the curtains on another winter's day Sheltering her candle, from where the draft still blows The wind is not the only foe that makes demands She feels the sting of tears that bloom and grow Like the hot wax that is spattered upon her hand Waiting many hours by the phone No voice to warm, to keep away the cold A meal to fix...for one alone... A radio plays softly,...the melody is old She can't blame the onions for her eyes, for she remembers Other times when aloneness was not loneliness in December For Paula's contest "Tears"