Shopping to purchase unnecessary things,
I saw lonely people sitting on benches
in a busy mall, whispering to unheard
voices deep within their grief: I saw
sadness cover their eyes, on their lips
words they could not share, for fear no
one would understand their pain. I tasted
their misery as they stared at me as I
walked by lighting imaginary candles
on the dark altar of their despair:
Shopping to purchase unnecessary things,
I saw lonely people stumbling in crowded
streets, lost in the dark emptiness of their
lonely lives, separated from the brightness
of day. Steps weary of pace and soul, fingers
grimy from searching for remnants of reality,
hands grasping for sanity amid the din
of muted despair:
Shopping to purchase unnecessary things,
I felt a sorrow within, as I saw the lonely
people weep in silence, while I continued
to shop for unnecessary things.