by Cheryl, Gulf Coast Poet

Lost & Alone

Photo by jaime-fenn from Unsplash

Lost & Alone

Lost and alone you are now!

Destination unexplored.

Light becomes darkness,

day becomes night.

Friendship unanticipated,

unfounded fears…

companions are strangers!

Shared experience,

shared fire and food.

Seen and heard…

Empathy.

Heard and seen,

food and fire shared,

experience shared.

Strangers are companions…

fears unfounded,

unanticipated friendship!

Night becomes day,

darkness becomes light.

Unexplored destination…

Now are you alone and lost?

Copyright© 2021 by Cheryl Batavia

This is my first attempt at writing a palindrome poem. My thanks to David, at Ben Alexander for his explanation of his method for writing a palindrome and for his encouragement.

74 Comments

  3. And this is my first attempt at reading a palindrome poem. It was fun unraveling the flow, and I find this poem brilliant Cheryl 💖. Unlike anything I read, real fun, and on afterthought much inspiring too. I see it as how a different perspective and approach changes our view of life and everything else. The same words which seem dreary and cold to one changed into warm and comforting when we look at the words slightly differently. I liked this immensely.
    Work had been keeping me away, and your lovely poem was a great piece to start catching up with. Hope things are going good Cheryl 🙂!

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    1. Deb, It’s great to be busy! I hope things are going well for you and your family! I am glad you enjoyed the poem. Thank you for your beautiful comment! It means so much to me. ❤ Thank you for sharing your thoughtful perspective. It is very helpful to know how others interpret what you have written. Have a great weekend! ❤

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    1. I am glad you enjoyed the poem. Thank you, Ashok, for sharing your valuable perspective and kind thoughts. The way you live your beliefs is admirable and results in your being a very good and loving person. ❤

      I agree with you that we can be alone without being lonely and can be lonely even in a crowd. I have found that to be true. I also believe that empathy allows strangers to become friends and support each other in a difficult situation.

      Have a great weekend! 🙂

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    1. Nirali, I am sometimes slow to try new things, especially a lot of new things at once. The palindrome poem captured my imagination. I am glad that you liked how it turned out. Thank you so much for your kind comment and for your support. I think continuing to upgrade skills is a good thing! All the best! ❤ Have a wonderful weekend!

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    1. David, it means a lot to me that you like my poem. Thank you so much for your kind and generous comments! ❤

      I am reluctant to try a lot of new forms at once, but I have learned some new things from WordPress bloggers…tankas, cinquains, elfchens… When I read your poem and your method for writing a palindrome, you captured my imagination. I will not lie. I found writing a palindrome EXTREMELY challenging, though it might become easier with practice. 🙂 Thank you so much for your encouragement. Hope you and your family are enjoying a great weekend!

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      1. You are right. We need more empathy in this world.

        It seems people are becoming more blinded by selfishness that they fail to treat others with dignity and respect.

        We need to look at everyone with the lens of love…

        Thank you for always sharing your beautiful heart through your art. 💕💕💕

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    1. Glad you like the palindrome, Prerna! Thank you so much for your kind comment! ❤ I have another one in the back of my mind. Maybe the second one will be easier to write. I found this form quite challenging! I look forward to seeing what you come up with! 🙂 Have a great week!

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    1. E L, I am glad that you enjoyed the poem. Thank you so much for your kind comment. ❤ Although my camping days are over, I think camping is about as close as most of us get to living with nature as our ancestors did. I wholeheartedly agree that being out in nature enhances creativity. 🙂

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  23. There’s nothing like being lost and alone to make us appreciate friendship! My hat’s off to you, Cheryl, for tackling this tricky form! I’d have to be in a mentally energetic mood. But I can also see how it could be fun, like when you complete puzzle.

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    1. Thank you, JoAnna for sharing your perspective. ❤ I certainly agree about appreciating friendship. Human beings have survived because they cooperate. We are more vulnerable if we are lost and alone.

      I did find the palindrome to be a challenging form. Maybe practice will make it easier. 🙂

      All the best! ❤

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    2. Kritika, Glad you like the poem. Thank you for your kind comment. ❤ This is my first try, and I got the information from David at "Ben Alexander." I am working on another Palindrome.

      There is a center word, "empathy" in this poem. The line before and the line after the center word are mirror images of each other. You just reverse the word order. David says he starts with the center word and writes outward toward the beginning and the end. These are the center three lines of this poem:

      Seen and heard…
      Empathy
      Heard and seen.

      The first and last lines:

      Lost and alone you are now!
      Now, are you alone and lost?

      Let me know if I can be of help. Good luck! I can't wait to see what you come up with! ❤

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      1. Oh okay. Would read your poem again and will start writing mine. This is interesting. Want to try pantoum as well. 😀
        Lets see what do I create. 🙂
        Thank you kindly (Heart)

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  27. That question at the end really got me. I think we all feel a bit alone and lost at times. Personally, it is at those times I find comfort in God’s hands.

    Just this week I have been feeling alone and lost, and it has only been since yesterday that I re-found what was missing. I spent a few hours editing my book and getting to know the characters as I did. I struggled to figure out how to edit – as it’s a big job and I keep seeing problems rather than solutions. But I took a moment, prayed about it, talked with a friend about it, and I’m really enjoying the story like I’m reading it for the first time.

    Thank you for sharing this beautiful poem. ❤

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    1. Yes, the first and second half of the poem are mirror images of each other, and there is a center word, “empathy.” This is a form of poem called a palindrome, and this is my first attempt. I found it very challenging to write, but hope practice will make it easier. So glad you like the poem, Angela. Thank you for your kind and thoughtful comment. ❤

      All the best!

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