Going Down Lonely | Alfred James

I sail on a dark, lonely road
Where scalding pains reside within me
Yet there is no ear to pour them into
I confide in my heart
But it seems it has borne enough
As it struggles to convey them for my eyes to behold
My hands are always open
With roses to share
But no one to clasp my chest
All day long, my roses shed tears
Flowing beneath me like the Nile
Too deep for me to drown
Life scowls upon me
And all my companions on this journey desert me
When I weep
My longing for a comforting hand goes unfulfilled
Because no one is willing to trade a smile
I spend my days in a bewildering whirlwind
Even in this chaos, the hands of men elude me
My open hands grow weary
The beautiful rose flower's neck droops
And I grow even lonelier
The struggle within me intensifies
As I continue to tread forward
I become weak and fearful
My soul begins to panic
Until I bow my head in miserable loneliness.

Poet's note: The storyline of this poem is that which symbolizes the suffering of the poet as he struggles to get companionship. The poet is not able to share his pains and the challenges that life serves him. The only person he could get was himself. Likewise, he had no one to express his love to. The forlornness of the poet is the storyline of this poem. This poem was written a few months ago. The poem is written for all those who are stuck within the abyss of forlorn; dwellers in the ocean of despair. In the poem, the poet expresses feelings of loneliness, bleakness, lack of companionship, friendlessness, pain, and frustration. The poet has nobody to share his "scalding pains" with. Even the love that he has that is metaphorically symbolized by "rose" is not relatable. This poem means so much to me because in it I can feel the pains of those who are dejected by the claws of loneliness.