Forlornness

Background: This prose poem goes out to those of us who have loved and lost.

Forlornness

I see the forlornness naked on your countenance, the grief that you carry in the corners of your eyes. I see the watery smiles that you pour as bravely as you can. Encountering “the one who wanted to get away” time and again, in different places, is like a serpent coiling around your neck. Breathing calmly is nigh impossible. Two divergent feelings dance in unison: the desire to embrace her again, and the urge to beg the earth to swallow you whole.

They say that time is a healer, and as overplayed a melody as it is, truth lies in it. With the methodical ticking of the clock, the undulations of grace, and steadfast patience, your shattered heart will become whole again. Your capacity to love can only grow, because you are the waves of an ocean: you can’t not love, like the waves can’t not crash onto the beach.

~Adelynne Ong, Mar 2025

Thank you for spending a bit of time reading my poetry. It means a lot to me. 🩷