The Loneliest Day

​January 2nd is a bummer because Christmas lights come down.  How depressing.  It's part of the aftermath of Christmas, and it has a way of inciting loneliness.  On January 2nd, I was thinking about:

Those who dread returning to a miserable job.
Widows and widowers living alone in a quiet house.
Those divorced or never married wondering if this is it.
Those mourning a death.
Those who have family far away.  They were together, now gone.
Those suffering from a break up.  

Some reflections on January 2nd, the loneliest day.  

                                            January 2nd 

The lights are all down and Christmas is a memory.
 
There is something tragic to a strand unlit.  They used to confront the year’s longest nights.  Some bit of warmth to battle the bitter winter.
 
But today everyone put them away (or unplugged them).  Little bulbs lining rooftops and tucked in garland.  They lit my walk down the block.  Now it’s just a street in grief.
 
It’s January 2nd.  Santa’s gone and so are you.  The warmth of December 25th got swept into the winter night through the open door.  Now I’m shivering without you.
 
I wake up in the night and wonder, “Will summer come and will I see you again?” 
 
Your absence is frigid on my soul.  What do I do? 
 
The sun sets by 5:00PM as I trudge down the sidewalk.  I march the shadow streets because I smell a hint of spring, and I know I’ll see you again.