I walk rather slowly these days,
Without purposeful destiny,
No plane to catch, no train to board,
There's no one waiting for me

Time and I have severed our ties,
Now I roam unburdened and free;
No need to hurry home tonight,
No one's waiting there for me

Seasons still change, they come and go,
The tide's still carried out to sea,
Not much has changed at all, except ....
Now no one's waiting for me

I still talk to the moon at night,
But it's not like it used to be,
My tear-filled eyes reveal my plight:
I've no one waiting for me

It matters not when I get home,
Be it midnight, or half past three,
No one's concerned ..... did I mention .....
There's no one waiting for me

Believing in the God of Love,
Each night finds me on bended knee,
Wistfully glancing toward my bed ......
But no one's waiting for me

A sumptuous feast adorns the table
Of those lucky few whom love has found,
Their hunger for love more than satisfied
By a banquet leaving them spellbound

What rejoicing spills from starving hearts
When love's elixir is first tasted;
They feast with a voracious appetite --
Then beg more, with not a drop wasted

They walk the ripe orchards of passion
As the sweet fruits fall into their hand;
The bounty is one to be coveted,
The harvest is nothing short of grand

But the lonely hearts stare longingly
Into the forbidden dining hall,
Hiding in shadows, they scour the floor
For any sustenance that might fall

But all they find is bread and water,
And as the banquet hall's vacated,
The lonely linger, still searching for scraps,
Their hunger for love goes unsated

Cautiously they rush the cellar door,
Anticipating what they may find --
Most likely, just a bit of rotting fruit,
Blemished, with worm holes scarring the rind

But should this not be deemed a blessing?
Though it may be seen as meagre fare,
Is not a morsel of discarded love
Better than the cupboard that lays bare?

Bread and water found by the lonely
Is the banquet upon which they feast;
Ravenously they feed on scraps of love,
Like the bone flung to a starving beast

So bring your alms of bread and water,
Take pity on these wretched losers;
Though often they dream of a royal feast,
Beggars of love cannot be choosers

Loneliness, I need not speak a word
Yet you're aware of my wretched pain;
All through the night, your vigil you keep,
Hearing my heart call to Love, in vain;
Sensing my distress, you warn the dawn
To tap gently at my window pane

You know me so well -- my heart's a book
You've read many times, with empathy;
Steadfastly you watch, come rain or shine,
You stand at your post most faithfully;
I feel your presence in the darkness
When tears blind my eyes mercilessly

In a moment of false bravado,
I foolishly pushed you from my side
When I believed Love had come to stay --
A silly notion I now deride;
Somehow you knew not to stray too  far,
And when you returned, how we both cried!

Come, Loneliness, let's call it a night,
I'll discard these dreams, then we'll go home;
Once again we'll amble, side by side,
I have you ..... there's no reason to roam;
Tonight I'll raise my glass in a toast:
To you, friend, I dedicate this poem!

Are there no words that I can say,
No supplication I might pray?
My tortured heart would be set free
If your love belonged to me

I'd write poems that would make you swoon,
Sonnets I've rehearsed with the moon;
Your soul would sing in ecstasy,
If your love belonged to me

When the sun leaves its golden throne,
I'd give you nights you've never known,
Like a tempest riding the sea,
If your love belonged to me

When the moon's silver rays unfold,
Won't you give me your heart to hold?
I would caress it tenderly,
If your love belonged to me

Calm the fear of what I most dread:
The words of love you've left unsaid!
You could end this uncertainty,
If your love belonged to me

The steepest hills for you I'd climb,
I'd travel to the end of time
If when I reached eternity,
Your love belonged to me

If I could hold your heart close to mine,
I would know what sorrows you bear,
And I would claim your pain as my own --
All that you'd allow me to share

If you could but let me hold your heart
Through the dark hours that plague your day,
I'd gently restore your trust in Love
That waves of deceit washed away

If I could keep your heart for one night,
So attached to love it would grow
That should you attempt to reclaim it,
It would shout a resounding "No!"

If I could lay your heart upon mine,
All your woes I'd seek to smother;
Maybe, just maybe, your pain and mine
Would annihilate each other

If I could hold your heart next to mine,
Dreams long dead would once more take flight;
Will we deny our hearts their last fling . . .
Or let them soar in wild delight!

The steps to my grave grow fewer,
I'm told now it's just a stone's throw;
But I've yet to carry the Torch of Love
And stand in awe beneath its hallowed glow

Too many were the lonely nights
I knelt with despair so near me,
Praying for love with the faith of a child,
Foolishly believing God would hear me

Tell me, Lord, can you hear me now?
Why have my cries not reached your door?
Each day fresh wreckage is strewn o'er my life,
But your silence is what it was before

The Book of Life's last page has turned,
The present hour now holds the keys;
Little time remains to learn of Love's joys --
When Death summons, I'll have no need for these

Can you hear me now? Give me hope
Before my heart heaves its last sigh;
Will my barque ever journey on Love's sea,
Or with furled sails in port forever lie?

Though despair stretches its talons,
The voice of hope affirms its place;
As the Scroll of Life dolefully unfolds,
Have lines been penned that Fate might yet erase?

Foolish heart, hopeful to the end,
As Death guides the gravedigger's plow:
Dig deeper, deeper, stifle that ****** voice!
But my heart still cries ..... can you hear me now?

How merry is the song that I sing,
How jubilant are the bells that ring,
How do I convey the joy they bring
When my darling speaks his words of love?

Like feathers his words float on the wind,
Bringing such joy, I fear I have sinned;
On this one man all my dreams are pinned,
No greater blessing can I think of

But when he's silent, I want to cry,
When I call and there is no reply,
I can't smile, no matter how I try,
Let him speak! I beg Heaven above

Anxiously I wait while the tears fall
When for days he speaks no words at all,
The thrill of past words  I must recall
Lest I die for want and lack thereof

And then the clouds part and angels sing,
O, what joy his words once again bring,
I would not trade them for anything,
When my darling speaks his words of love!