I wrote this poem in May 2018, about four years after my retirement, and on one of those days where being alone can be overwhelming, especially when coupled with questions of whether one is really adding value or how full one’s day is when there is very little interaction with others. Fortunately those days were, and are less than the days where there is purpose and connection.
However in the writing of this poem there was also an appreciation and new found respect for the many thousands of people who have no one in their lives for whatever reason, or who are shut away and have minimal close relationships with others. This is a societal problem and yet is also a question that families must address as an entity as they spread out and have less contact with each other, and as the elders in those families live longer lives in their own homes.
Walls of loneliness invisible to all
Need for recognition considered to be small
It seems like reaching out is the only way
Otherwise the waiting is more painful everyday.
Who am I when not connected to the world
I feel like a flag unable to be unfurled
Social media provides the means to talk with everyone
Yet it’s so impersonal that its value is almost none.
The phone only rings when someone wants some dough
The knocking at the door only happens for dog and pony shows
The email only dings when searching for a sale
and those are getting fewer as I unsubscribe to unwanted mail.
Does no one really care or are they simply unaware
Have I ticked them off or are they thinking I enjoy solitaire
What am I missing or what have I done
There are no friends or family with whom to have some fun.
Perhaps this is reality for shut ins and those who no longer work
And thus it goes unnoticed by those who do not share that perk
Imagine those who live behind the unwanted walls
Is there someone listening and prepared to make the calls.
It is not the expectation that one passes all their time
taking care of those whose simple pleasures includes writing rhymes
An invite for a coffee or an unexpected call
Any show of interest would knock down the walls.