Is This What Lonely Feels Like?

You don’t have to ask me—I know what lonely feels like. In fact, I wrote a poem about it recently. But because I think we all know what lonely feels like, I wrote another poem about it. Specifically, this poem is about the loneliness we feel when we’re single—and ready to mingle—but there’s no one to mingle with.

I know what it feels like to be the outsider looking in, which is why I wrote this poem. This poem is about watching your friends start dating, get married, and have families and feeling stuck on the sidelines as you wonder how long you’ll be waiting. But the waiting isn’t meaningless. You’ll see why.

There they are,
Locking eyes,
Smiling as they walk the halls.

There she is,
Leaning in,
Hoping she is what he wants.

There he is,
Worrying,
Hoping he’s her dream come true. 

There she goes,
Hand in his,
Skipping off to Wonderland.

There he goes,
Hand in hers,
Wondering where they’ll go next.

This is what lonely feels like.
This is what lonely feels like.

There they are,
Standing close,
Sharing thoughts nobody knows.

There she is,
Beaming bright,
Ready to be held so tight.

There he is,
Smiling still,
Leaning in to kiss his bride.

There she goes,
Dressed in white,
Off into the wistful night.

There he goes,
Dressed in black,
Off into their fairytale.

This is what lonely feels like.
This is what lonely feels like.

There they are,
Resting now,
Holding Baby in their arms.

There she is,
Dreaming dreams,
Assured their son will do great things.

There he is,
Tall and wise,
Knowing that their son will thrive.

There she goes,
Heading home,
Pleased with all her dreams come true.

There he goes,
Driving back,
Ready for whatever’s next.

This is what lonely feels like.
This is what lonely feels like.

There they are, 
Fighting still,
Groaning as they slam the doors.

There she is,
Stifling tears,
Trying not to wake their son.

There he is, 
Packing up,
Hurrying to start his truck.

There she goes,
All alone,
Trudging back from Wonderland.

There he goes,
Driving off,
Not sure where he will go next.

That’s what lonely will feel like.
That’s what lonely will feel like.

Though it’s difficult to wait for the right husband or wife, the wait is worth it. Our dating/engaged/married friends may seem to have perfect lives, but we can’t see what’s going on behind the scenes. What looks like a fairytale might be a nightmare.

Waiting to meet the right guy isn’t pointless; it’ll prevent heartache down the road. Yes, being single + lonely can be hard, but being married + lonely is so much worse. It’s simply better to wait for the right guy than the rush ahead and marry the wrong guy. The wait is worth it because God wants the very best for us.

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. (Psalm 37:5-6 ESV)