cottage solitude

here i am

where have you gone?

i hear only the birds

as they sing mournful songs

here i am

why did you leave?

i hear only the wind

as it moves through the trees

here i am

i stare out into the grey

clutching a mug already grown cold

it’s murky contents tar-like

here i am

i pull my sweater about me

the hem, still damp from the rain

catching on my bitten nail beds

here i am

i look to the empty stone fireplace

remembering the shadows once cast by its flames

the crackling sounds long gone

here i am

i touch the quilt that lays on the couch

knowing the fabric

no longer carries your scent

here i am

i glance at the worn brown piano

wishing its keys

could relay your touch

here i am

where have you gone?

the days are too quiet

the nights are too long

here i am

why did you leave?

i’ve lost my companion

you left me to grieve

here i am

alone