Just For Me

I wrote this poem for a writing contest. The prompt was “The Shape of Solitude.” Writers were asked to recast loneliness as a companion, room in a house, etc., and to consider what shape it took, and what it asked for. I decided to write about loneliness as a type of food or as something I ingested. In hindsight, I realize it’s not clear what I’m referring to in my poem. I also couldn’t decide whether I needed to rhyme or not. Nevertheless, the below is what I came up with. Happy reading!

Never Alone

I craved you last week

I vowed to take better care of myself

Yet I almost had a bite

I decided to go hungry out of spite

But you were on my mind every night

I didn’t want it to be like May

When just a taste

Led to me eating you each day

Would you be baked into my quiche?

Or on the sandwiches we took to the beach?

You loved to surprise me

I remember when you were the icing on the cake

So bittersweet

You turned celebration

Into suffocation

And when they left, I ate you whole

When you were sour

I thought of lemonade

When you were savory

I chose to be grateful for a hearty meal

When you were warm

I knew you’d quickly turn cold

You had convinced me that gluttony would lead to satisfaction

But you left me empty

Always

Since May, I’ve changed my diet

I’ve felt stronger, more stable

But I craved you last week

Because the truth is, you are inescapable