Page 19 - Contrast1958Winterv3n1

ALONE

The world is still this morning
But the world is all aglow
Like a silent fire at midnight
In the ashes' afterglow.

Like a fire that keeps on burning
Though the flame has tried to die
In a world that's filled with anguish
In a world where I can't cry.

With a painted smile upon my lips

I faced the multitude.
I joined in their laughter
I matched their carefree mood.

With a kind of desperation
That I never have possessed
To show myself that I belong
And put my mind at rest.

But the painted smile revealed
To the multitude and me
That I would never be a part
Of what I longed to be.

So, in a world where all are stranger
I am destined now to roam
To pass them in the cities
To see them in their homes

But never to be part of them
To share their tears or fame-

Alone I came,
Alone I'll leave,
Alone I still remain.

JEAN SHADRACH

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