Thursday, July 21, 2011

Surrounded Alone

Surrounded by people - yet alone.
Their chatter
a cloud of noise
around me.

Surrounded by people - yet alone.
Seeing wolves,
seeing sheep
seeing them.

Surrounded by people - still.
Their words
gossip
bitching.

Surrounded by people - eyes moving.
Seeing so much.
Them - standing too close.
Her - leaning away.
There a harsh whisper, a flinch.
There a rolling eye, scorning.
Here a pinch, there a wink.

Surrounded by people - I smile.
Hollow, faking it well.
Nodding, "oh yes I see" said.
Inside I hear the stillness in me.
Inside I feel the watcher move.

Surrounded by people - can't breathe.
The noise, the smells
Their energy.
Unknowing and sucking.
Thirsting and seeking.

Surrounded by people - I slip away.
Within me, the wiring is wrong.
I'm there but so not there.
Not so simple as
wolves and sheep.
It is something complex.

Surrounded by people - unseen.
Learning to be invisible
long ago
serves me well today.

They always look shocked
when I suddenly speak
and appear there.
In their midst - who knew?
Witty, fun, confident,
not like them, exotic.
I shake my head, within me,
Then I slip away again.

Copyright 2011 Shanyn Silinski

19 comments:

  1. You capture the emotion of this perfectly. And for those of us you choose to be present with - every moment blesses us. I love you, my sister!

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  2. Thank you Zoe, I love you very much my sister.

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  3. Ditto for what Zoe said. You describe the feeling of aloneness so well.

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  4. Shanyn keep blogging and writing . you have a very beautiful gift.. your words are flowing

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  5. Patricia, thank you! So glad you are here.

    Healing_within - thank you for your encouraging words.

    You bless me by being here.

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  6. This is a very hard thing to communicate-- great job. I know how this feels-- I would admit that my biggest issue is feeling safe; I used to just hand myself over to people, now much much more cautious after being seared in the fire-- xxxj lovely work and thanks for all your help w/ the meme..xxxj

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  7. Jenne, thanks for coming by and for sharing. Feeling safe is huge! It is one of the biggest things we can rebuild is that ability to have those boundaries and that safety. Especially after going through the fire!

    You are welcome, I'm enjoying the Meme very much!

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  8. Hi, Shanyn. I'm stopping by for the blog hop. It's very nice to meet you. Beautiful poem. Full of emotion.

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  9. Thanks for coming by K! Nice to meet you too.

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  10. Hi, Shanyn. I, too, am stopping by for the blog hop. Hope you stop by my blog to enjoy a few pieces of poetry I have posted as well.

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  11. Shanyn - great to meet you. This poem is honest it also allows the reader to contribute feeling of his own
    A victorious piece to be sure

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  12. poem is great at capturing the loniness within. i feel invisible too in public sometimes which this poem conveys well.

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  14. You're right - it's not as simple as wolves and sheep, and wolves and sheep are not themselves that simple; when put in the context of gossip and bitching, it's possible for one to be both a following sheep and an attacking wolf at the same time.

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  15. RYCJ - thank you for coming by. blog hops are so much fun for meeting new folks and seeing their blogs.

    Moondust - thank you for coming by and for your comment, I'm so glad you shared your observations on the poem.

    Sean - thanks for coming by, and I'm glad we aren't invisible alone :-)

    Shelley - thank you for coming by. And no it is not so simple - even wolf packs have sheep likem members and sometimes there are quite wolfish sheep. I think it is in finding balance, but sometimes we lean towards what is easy to our natures :-)

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  16. I have been that person, quiet, hiding, noticing those around me, yet feeling alone. You captured those feelings so well here.

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  17. Wow! Strong and visceral. With each stanza you reinforce that feelings of being alone, thoughtful if not thought provoking. I am dancing at Meg's ball. Glad to have found you.

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  18. Tracie - thanks for coming by, I'm so glad to see you here! Thanks for the comment.

    Brenda - glad to see you here, thanks for coming by on Meg's hop! Thank you for your comment, it's nice to hear your thoughts.

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