Till Next Year.....My Dear Poem by RIC BASTASA

i know where all the lonely people come from

i can tell the shapes of their faces
their shadows are too
revealing

what is expensive wraps them and conceals whatever is
in the offing

i know what they want to say when you meet them in the streets
the kind of drinks they take in parties

the way they hold their glasses like the way they maintain their
pretenses

it is not easy to be lonely i tell you
one gropes for solutions which are not always at hand

the nights are knives and they stab you right at the
center of your heart and you bleed and you bleed some more
alone by yourself
in those large empty containers

i know their feelings
their longings and their hopes for a cure

i know some more and i know you are listening about
what i want to say
further

but for now let us keep going
mind our own kind of lonely business

and in tonight's party with all the crowd
of lonely people
let us listen to new jokes,
updat ourselves with new songs,
and be attentive to the latest rumors in town

savor the multiple miseries of other lonely people
out there
buried in the smoke of
cigarettes
in the loud music of
the exclusive club

do not lose hope my dear
keep the strength
murmur your prayers
think positive
choose suffering
sing lament

share the passions
(of Christ)

then perhaps who knows we can be happy again
understand this matter to the fullest
interpret its hidden meanings
remix the nuances of the nooks of silences


and live life some more with all the cheers till next year.