Alone, But Not Lonely

Caveat:

There is a balance to maintain

between being alone

and mingling with people.

Alone too much,

you become estranged.

Mingle too much,

and you become a stranger to yourself.

It is hard to be alone

for the uneducated in the practice

because time moves differently.

It drags if there is no purpose.

The sun doesn’t sink.

Night unyielding.

Time becomes static.

Time becomes noise,

cries of cicadas.

To enjoy being alone

is to meditate

to the noise of time.

Observe it as it is:

The present flowing into the future.

Remnant stones of the past linger

forming the riverbeds.

But, all time flows to the ocean.

Stones soften with time.

Reflection in its waters

mirrors who you are

as opposed to who you should be.

To be alone,

is to be with who you are.

Being alone

is to engage with your present.

At first,

walking by time

is stepping on sharp stones

of the riverbed.

Sit beside it.

Listen.

Watch as the stones

slowly, but, surely,

wear down into skipping stones.

When they’re the right shape

skip them down the river.

Weights off your sandy beach.

That is what this poem is,

a skipping stone.

Help clear the beach

with your handmade tools.

The arts, philosophy, reading,

become good at your craft,

become good at watching time roll on.

That is the joy in being alone,

but not lonely.

Image created using AI art generator.