There is no loneliness like
Being the only one awake
As everyone around you
Finds the night you cannot.

Instead of two days, I lived
One that lasted forever,
Extra hours filled with
Whatever was to hand, passing
The time rather than spending it.

It is impossible to hide in
The light of a Sun that
Never sets, and yet I tried
My inevitable best, choosing
Heart blinkers over an eye mask,
Believing in my ability
To achieve the impossible.

If I was not asleep, I was
Definitely dreaming, awaiting
The unavoidable disappointment
Of waking.

When I landed, it was
No longer yesterday, but
Still I lived my life
As though it was. The Earth had
Spun against me this time.

Perhaps the gap I sometimes
Feel in my life is that
Missing day, swallowed by
A fantasy I tried to make
Real, and one I did not.

If ever I return, will I find
The elephant still in the room,
Or will it turn out
It was never there at all?

01/14/2020

Posted on 02/10/2020
Copyright © 2024 Richard Vince