the loneliness is killing me 

my heart aches for words 

to listen to and to say to

my loneliness has nothing to do 

with me being alone

after all, despite thousands of babies 

being born each day, 

the world continues to shrink

after all things happen, you think about 

how it happened 

and you don’t believe it

after all a cog in the wheel of universe

can’t understand the gimmicks 

and looks only at the inner wheel 

he is running around

and looking around

after all, imagining 

regarding someday 

dying for nothing

yet dying ultimately, 

knowing this fact very well

still, and yet and despite

after all, most friendships only last 

a few days, a few months, 

and a few years

after all, many of the relatives 

are either envious 

or have family issues 

trying to even the score

after all, professional relationships are 

limited to office meetings 

or having food at Mahesh Lunch Home 

and getting a proper emoji in time on 

birthdays, festivals, and achievements 

Google has made it simple and perfect

don't need to remember even the dates

still, still sometimes 

I wish I could be with them 

and they could be with me

on such occasions 

these yearnings drain the energy

leaving me empty inside and out

(Top photo by Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944), the Russian painter and art theorist known for creating one of the earliest recognized purely abstract artworks.)