Islands

That popularized line of John Donne’s
About no one being a self-sufficient island
That we are all part
Of a larger interdependent group
Both benefitting from and contributing to
A common societal good

Some people
Whether by choice or circumstance
Do stand alone
Sifting the shore of time
Only to find their lone singularity
Are very much isolated
From the rest of humankind
Somehow don’t sift those grains to find love
Tenderness or companionship
Perhaps are not known for mercy or empathy
Their eyes directed not by the heart
But by the self
Upon and for that self alone

And it is frustrating and heartbreaking
Saddening and sometimes maddening
To realize we are unable
To persuade them to stand with us
To join our circle of mutual benefit
Our hands extended to them
Across their limitless ocean divide

Note: This is my rough draft for Monday 01.22.23