this friend gives in the shadows of night
and in the familiar of day?
How would I explain a companion, who mirrors
our existence, at the mall, in the airport,
in bed with a lover?
After other friends have come and gone,
like love and grief,
contentment and despair,
By our side sits loneliness, faithfully waiting
to take our hands, to cross any threshold,
and to meet any stranger.
I couldn’t teach her about loneliness,
my loneliness told me no, he knew the path
she had to follow to find her own, she had to be alone.
Loneliness will find her, he will be her first
and last lover, her companion always.
I’ll know when she’s met him,
when she’s come the full round,
she’ll hate me then,
she’ll know me then,
and we’ll toast flutes filled with our sorrow
revealed, and let our companions meet
on the plane of austerity.
Author Bio:
Sonya Groves is a teacher in San Antonio, Texas. She has published a short stories and poetry in over 50 publications and journals, the latest including La Noria, Aries, and FLARE: the flagler review. Currently she is pursuing her PhD at the University of Texas at San Antonio.