561. Estranged

I crossed mountains,

To warn of evil,

And you did not even care;

Then made friends with the devil,

And cast me out.

I crossed oceans,

To deliver you,…

To protect you, and to care;

Then you left and never knew,

I was drowning.

I crossed deserts,

To be by your side,

And quench your soul with hope;

And you rolled on as the tide,…

And left me there.

I crossed highways,

To run away to….

Nowhere in particular.

Desperately,…ran from you,…

And you let me.

K. Aldaya, 9/5/21

Picture: By Simon Berger on Unsplash; https://unsplash.com/photos/ET6NrIKz7Ak

296. The Way Back Home

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It was one of those bitter days,

When the cold gets to ones’ soul,

And one wonders in a million ways,

If the freeze will ever thaw.

She sat there on a concrete slab,

While the snow around her fell.

The world one color white and drab,

Was a snowglobe for a God.

She had no place to go to,

Home was many hours away,

And as the frosty wind blew,

She wished she’d worn a coat.

Hours flew by as she sat there,

Like a statue made of ice,

When a man nearby stopped to stare,

And they smiled to each other.

Sometimes we don’t realize,

How lost we truly are,

‘Til someone makes us recognize,

Through a simple phrase: “Are you okay?”.

She smiled like an automaton,

Replying: “Yes, I’m fine”.

-“Well, the storm is hitting us head-on,

So you should get home soon”.

He walked into a store nearby,

And as soon as he was gone,

She clutched her chest with a sigh,

And her eyes filled with tears.

Her heart began to weep…

She’d thought she was invisible,

Living in a hole so deep,

If she died none would see.

So many people walk right past,

They don’t care or realize,

How long a kind word can last,

Within a human heart.

One kind thought or word,

May save a soul one day;

Building a bridge with each word,

For a lonely castaway…

To find their way back home.

K. Aldaya, 3/31/15

Picture:  Photographer Unknown; https://p.gr-assets.com/540×540/fit/hostedimages/1423681671/13657858.jpg

74. Castaway

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Dear ‘God’, please remember me when I reach heaven’s ingress.

Hold me close as can be, for I have such loneliness.

Dear ‘God’, why do they all leave?

Why always left here alone?

Daily soul to grieve and grieve,

‘Til my heart is dead as stone.

Dear ‘God’, I’ll pretend you’re here.

Standing next to me smiling.

Glancing at me so dear,

This dream keeps me trying.

Dear ‘God’, would you stay always,

With this ‘lone forsaken soul?

Upon which none do gaze,

Left by the world unwhole.

Dear ‘God’, maybe you care for me?

People pass me on their way,

But don’t care to know me,

A lonely castaway.

K. Aldaya, 9/16/04

Picture: by dear_wes on Weheartit.com; http://weheartit.com/entry/65224866/via/dear_wes