A room full of people.
New People. Old People. Everything in between.
And me. Lost in the middle.
I see a table ahead of me
With all my friends crowded around it.
Pride calls my name
Temptation beckons me to sit next to her
Regret offers me a hand
And Hate smirks. Welcoming me.
I hear nothing.
They call themselves my friends
But who are they really?

So I sit with them.
The table’s too full for me to unload my backpack
I keep it where it is. Like
I always do and never not do.
Lost in a conversation, I little care for,
My eye is drawn to an old friend at a faraway table.
We used to be so close as kids,
The best of friends,
Then things changed
And I forgot about little Faith.
Who was always there
And always true.

Pride says something that makes Hate chuckle.
Temptation strokes my hair and whispers in my ear
I hear nothing.
Faith, a friend lost in time, has my attention.
She’s prettier than I remember
And smaller than I thought she once was.
She sits alone, on the outskirts, and still a smile rests on her gentle face.
Regret taps my shoulder, offering me his leftovers
I stand up and push him away. He yells
Hate curses, Temptation calls, and Pride beckons after me.
I hear nothing.
Faith sees me coming, smiles, makes room.

I sit. Unload my pack
Let it slip from my shoulders at last.
Faith smiles. “Been awhile,” she whispers.
“Got lost for a bit. But I’m back,” I reply.
She offers me some of her lunch
And we share our first meal in years.
My old friends in the distance call my name
Begging me to come back.
I hear nothing.
Faith takes my hand in hers and
Suddenly, finally,
I hear everything.