Together Alone: A Poem












Together Alone

 We sit so far away
Yet so close in heart
Every thought holds you near
Every emotion gives me hope
Every teardrop mends the tears
I listen for your words
As we stare into the sky
Looking for ways to feel
We aren’t so far apart
I see you on the street
Step aside – six feet
Keep you safe
Keep me safe
So that one of these days
All this time alone
Will lead to us being together
We’ve gotten through worse
We’ve survived arguments and hurtful words
We’ve gone our separate ways for far worse reasons
Yet now as we contemplate when we’ll next see each other
A virtual hug
A virtual kiss
A virtual cup of tea
Is all we can give
As we navigate this reality
So that someday, some time in the future
Hopefully sooner rather than later
We can cross the street to stand
Hand to hand
Smile to smile
Hug
Kiss
Drink a cup of tea
Laugh about that time
The one time when the world
Forced us to be isolated
When we had to find ways to be
Together alone
Looking at the stars
Remembering the sky connects
Us across the distance
Each breath exhaled travels around the world
And back again
Each time I inhale that breath just might
Hold a tiny bit of you that I’d forgotten existed
So I inhale deeply
So I exhale fully
And remember that in our isolation
We’re still connected
Across the miles, across the street, across the world
So 
I’ll hold us in my mind, in my heart, in my soul
Together alone

T. L. Cooper is an author and poet whose work aims to empower and inspire through an exploration of the human condition. Her poems, short stories, articles, and essays have appeared online, in books, and in magazines. Her published books include a collection of short stories, Soaring Betrayal, her Silhouette Poetry Series, and a novel, All She Ever Wanted. She grew up on a farm in Tollesboro, Kentucky. She currently lives in Albany, Oregon with her husband and three cats.

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