Poem: Being Alone

Night falls as she sits alone by herself.
For once she is no longer afraid…
To seek a sense of integrity and inner peace.
For she finally understands and accepts,
The difference between loneliness and being alone…

How easy it is to be misled,
By flighty feelings and innate desires.
How vulnerable human beings can be?
To trust only the beating heart…
To allow people to manipulate our lives.

Once again she is naturally alone…
Far beyond the fiery sunset…
Somewhere amidst the lushful trees…
Out there in the deep blue sea,
A fragment of her dream unfulfilled…

Being with someone for the wrong reasons:
For the fear of being lonely
and growing old alone….
Holding on to broken dreams
and shattered hopes…
A case of misplaced pride and self-dignity…
Entrapping the person
into a temporary relationship…

Being alone for the right reasons:
To be by oneself so as to gain insight,
To be at peace with one's soul.
To accept solitude as the part
and parcel of life,
To allow silence to be one's teacher.

Once again, she is alone in her space.
Once again she sits and waits quietly
For the familiar tune that plays continuously…
For the meaning of her current life to see…
Being alone is not so bad after all.

(By momoko, 30/5/2000)


For many years, I wondered about this thing called loneliness and I have come to recognise that it is not the same as being alone. Loneliness is the endless emptiness within a soul... of not having a beloved one to hug or being listened to and understood. Being alone is the choice of having solitude within a given time to ponder and reflect about one's own life. Yet, this idea of being alone just vexes me all the time, because there is a very thin line between loneliness and being alone. I don't think it is a good idea to dwell in self pity when one is lonely. Yet, it is not a good thing to choose to be alone all the time either. No man is an island... no man stands alone!

The question is how do we find the right balance? I think it is important to know who we are deep inside. It means that we need to know if we are the type that needs companionship, the type that needs space or the type that needs solitude! We need to claim that for ourselves. When I hear about other people's sad love stories, I find myself asking the person... are you comfortable with being alone? do you know the difference between loneliness and being alone?

Really... how many of us can stand being lonely for long periods of time? How many of us understand the need to be alone? When I look back at my own life, I see the times when I am lonely... I made the most mistakes. When I see the times when I am alone, I made the best decisions! So there are good reasons to be alone after all...

Hence, my inspiration for this poem...


NB: This poem has inspired a song that was written by my friend, Eu Jin and it is now recorded in the album "Picture of Us" currently sold in all CD shops and stores!