Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Alone

Alone, alone—
He is always alone, it seems to me.
A friendly nook with others he cannot see.
Alone was he destined always to be?
Perhaps a friendly hand,
Just touched in passing now,
Might hold a cheering thought,
And give the friendship sought.
And then perhaps no more
Alone would he wish to be…
I wonder!
(Spring 1928)


This poem was in mom’s composition book as is. Several things strike me about it. Mom was twenty five at the time, a young adult for whom, from a developmental standpoint, intimacy is a major concern. Young adults who fail to connect with others suffer loneliness and feelings of isolation. This poem shows mom’s empathy and compassion for this state, her natural feeling for the importance of connection with others, achieved perhaps even by just “a friendly hand, just touched in passing, that might just hold a cheering thought and give the friendship sought.” It was her nature to be sensitive to others’ feelings, to be cheerful toward them, not let them feel alone. Each day I knew her, woke her up, shared her space (home, nook), she was this way—reaching out with a touch, a smile, a friendly word, an encouragement, a cheerful spirit.
Another theme in this poem that is characteristic of mom is the thoughtful, wondering, questioning tone—“Was he destined always to be?” “It seems to me.” Perhaps a friendly hand” “I wonder!” These are the phrases of an inquiring, thinking, wondering, concerned, problem-solving mind. They suggest not just mom’s high IQ but her incredibly high EQ (emotional intelligence), her interpersonal sensitivity, intuition and capacity to connect to others’ feelings.

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