lonely.

It's that feeling

The one we run from

The empty cavern

We labor to fill

We drown it out

We turn away

Numb the pain

Ignore until

In the silence

We've acquired 

Something dies

Deep inside us

We can survive

But never thrive

With hearts hidden

Underneath a performance

Pretend away

It must be something else

Hunger

Exhaustion

Boredom

Or irritation

We lose ourselves

Exploring explainations

Something's missing

This I know

In my familiar mess

Please tell me I'm not alone

In my own loneliness

I have a hunch

Have you felt it too?

Surrounded by loved ones

Or alone in your room?

It aches

Demands a voice

Cries out 

Takes many forms

You may be timid

Bold and boisterous

Confident, or insecure

Lonely masked is lonely still

Just the same

We have this sickness

And we scrounge to find the cure

Don't believe me?

Put it to the test

Turn off your phone

Steal away

Let your many faces rest

In the stillness

Who are you? 

When all is said and done

Without your labels

Without your efforts

Do you matter to anyone?

Your family maybe

Friends surely care

But your heart beats

For so much more

The thoughts you think

The hurt you hide

The happiness you keep untold

Do you feel understood?

To be yourself

To just let down

To kick back

And know for sure

That to someone

You matter

Even behind closed doors

In apathy, in laziness

In passion, and in your dreams

In secrets kept, and secrets shared

In memories of mistakes you never told

In silence and expression

In victory and in defeat

In ambition and disappointment

Do you feel seen?

Fully known and fully loved

In the pretty and the ugly 

And the tidy and the muddy

Does anyone get me?

These are my tears in the night

The longing buried inside me

No significant other

No closest best friend

No success at work

Or goal met at the gym

Can satisfy my heart

Or fill me up to the brim

So, forgive my fairy tale confession

But, I need true love

I'm hungry for unconditional

It's my one need in disguise

Catching whiffs here and there

So often chasing lies

See, we search everything in sight

Hoping something holds the key

Enough evidence to drive us

But the source eludes our eyes

Will you imagine with me?

Will you dare to dream?

That your longing could be filled

By a source that you can't see?

An available connection

Night and day, Rain and shine

Affirmation that stays steady

Love that stands the test of time

Never abusive

Never selfish

Never distant

Or uninvolved

Never destrucitive

Never distracted

Never unconcerned

Or far off

Love that's untainted

Innocent and unspoiled

By the sharing of my heart

By the messiness of life

By the confusion of my mind

By the dirtiest secret

By the real me unveiled

By my greatest weakness

My heart is drenched

Satisfied

Put to rest

Full of peace

To think that I am loved

By one who really knows me

And not just loved

But by my side

This one promised to never leave

I feel the presence in my room

Strong arms envelope me

In the dark alone in bed

Nightmares trying to rob sleep

In the car on my way home

A rough day inside my head

In the personal victory

Significant to nobody but me

This is where I'm found

By a wonderful Somebody

It's simple

Though not easy

To open up my mouth

To call the name

To trust that I am heard

To believe that nothing's changed

To stake my claim upon this love

Even though I feel lonely

Still there

Still willing

Still safe

Still loving

"Trust Me" touches my ears

When I pause to listen

"You're not alone" calms my fears

Truth amidst my commotion 

"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forever more." 

- Psalm 16:11

"As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake I shall be satisfied with your likeness." 

- Psalm 17:15

"For He satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul He fills with good things." - Psalm 107:9

"And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." 

- Philippians 4:19

"I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst." 

- John 6:35

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want."

- Psalm 23:1