One Single Impression: Lonely

Alone

Lonely days make me sad.
More so on the rainy days.


I remember once we journeyed to Missouri.
It rained most of the day and seemed like perpetual night.
Our old Chevy was leaking rain.
Leaking right over where we children sat.
Back seat of course. We were sitting in the back.

When we got to Joplin my mother broke the news.
We were expecting something sad from her.
She seemed to cry all the time; ever since two days ago.
Two days ago when she got the call.

She wouldn't talk about it but we kids all knew.
We knew there was nothing good
coming along those telephone lines.
She mumbled something almost obscene,
something about the operator listening in.

Mother broke the news.
She had her kerchief,
wet and wadded,
next to her nose.

But we all knew it was her eyes that made the wet.
Wet of her tears. Do tears really stain?
We had always heard about the tear stained.
Tear stained cheeks and the like.
For sure stained her kerchief was.

The news that mother broke was solemnly heard;
distraught, the young ones listened, silently sobbing.

Grandma had died.

Our grandma. Grandmother to a tribe it seemed.
We had always had Grandma. Now she was gone.

We cried.

We were alone. I was alone.
Alone in the car with the others.
Alone in the rain.
Alone in the wet of the leaking Chevy.
And the rain wouldn't stop.

Why did it have to be?
I was alone.
All alone.
Very sad.
Alone.

Photo and Poem Copyright
© 2010 Jimmiehov
All Rights Reserved

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Prompt words, Lonely, suggested by Harshad Mehta
at Space Within: Attempt to put in words....
Find more poems at One Single Impression using "Lonely" as prompt