Waiting

By Sarah Allison

I languish here wretched and alone,

 don’t ask me how long,

 for I do not know.

 Aeons have passed by unnoticed;

 Grains of sand slipping through my fingers

 Time wields no power over me.

 I am insubstantial.

 Mire and sulphur find no solace here.

 I am without form.

 Do not pity me;

 For I have lived a thousand years;

 seen unforgettable wonders

 and much suffering.

 Oh so many regrets.

 Misery is a cherished bed fellow;

 for I have sinned.

Condemned never to feel a lover’s soft caress again;

 nor feel the summer sun warm my crumbling bones.

 The things I have done

 In the name of avarice and greed

 haunt my dreamless sleep.

 The pain I have caused countless nations;

 The cultures I have subjugated.

 I am nothing more than

 an ugly stain on humanity.

 I languish here; waiting

 Waiting

 Waiting knowing no one will come.

Sarah Allison has been writing poetry since the age of six. She is Autistic, dispraxic and dyslexic. Two of her pieces of poetry reached the finals of a UK competition and European competition. As Sarah says: “I have enjoyed a lifetime love affair with words. I am a retired lecturer and counsellor living in north Cornwall. The beautiful county of Cornwall provides inspiration all year round for creative individuals.”