eating lunch alone
at the table by the window,
i saw a homeless man stroll by,
fed on the empty promises
of a forgetful society;

walking alone to the ballpark
for today's game,
i passed a woman
struggling to manuever
her wheelchair onto a sidewalk
which had no ramp;

working at my desk,
while my colleagues
are out celebrating a birthday,
i thought of the little boy
i saw on the bus,
reaching for his father's hand,
which was occupied
with the latest thriller.

Lord who prayed alone
in Gethsemane's garden:

may my loneliness
not be something
i hug to myself,
but the means to reach out
to others more lonely.

Amen.

(c) 2005 Thom M. Shuman