Seeking figure
By Izak R. Crafford
It’s raining tears of sadness
over a broken world of pain not noted and tragedies not seen,
it’s raining tears of fearful regret
over the power given the artificial and the might of the heartless screen.
Tears of sorrow, as they fall to earth,
strip leaves from trees
and leave behind majestic skeletons of stark truth,
soothe proudly bulging muscles in important necks into submission
and strip masks from faces in lone, dark rooms
revealing terrified angels shivering in the cold
world of no embraces,
no friendly twinkling eyes
and plenty glinting fame and gold.
Such a lone, despairing figure, broken and on its knees
stretches out a frightened hand
in search of Mitleid, joy and truth
and the love it had an inkling of in tenderest youth.
The hand grasps at everything,
hoping, begging, pleading in the dark;
it seeks a warm fireside in a world so cold and stark.
It finds a void where hearts ought to be,
for They’re oft still shielded, concealed in fear;
it looks about it and sees others huddled too in misery.
as it feels the burden of loneliness in a broken heart,
it clings on to the hope
that from the blessing of the falling rain will come true friendship’s birth.
A Note from the Author:
"I have noticed that people are, as a result of the rapidly spreading pandemic, starting to realise the value of others in our lives. We cannot be ourselves without others; they are absolutely essential to our existence. We have, however, drifted away from one another, especially now that technology helps us create a comfortable, yet empty, world of Facebook friends and followers on countless other social media platforms in which we don't really have to do much. Compassion constitutes sending an emoji of some variety; you can conveniently neglect to notice a call for someone to be there. Friendships have become devoid, quite often, of warmth and love in this realm.
It is not that technology is utterly bad. Indeed, it certainly can help friends and family stay in touch in these trying times of painful separation. Perhaps, at least I hope so, this pandemic will force us to rethink the role we want technology to play in our lives. Do we want friends and warm human contact and love or the empty coldness of the computer screen? Do we want to regard others and suffer and rejoice with them or do we want to pursue our own success alone, often at the cost of others?
This virus does not discriminate. I think it can make one realise one's vulnerability, no matter your importance.
It is these things I thought about as I sat alone in the garden, rain sifting down from a dark sky, stripping autumn leaves from trees around me. And it is these things I tried to put into words in this poem, along with the realisation that I would not be able to exist without those who are my true friends." - Izak R. Crafford