For Fear of Being Alone by Ben Rasnic

I

For fear of being alone,
you go
to great lengths
to do anything
& everything
other than that
which makes you happy.

II

For fear of being alone,
you respond in ways
that are not yourself,
begging the question
“Who is this man
sleeping with my wife?”

III

For fear of being alone,
you pretend at the person
you think she wants you
to be;
arrive home to find
your belongings
neatly bundled on the front lawn
with a note that reads,
“I don’t know who you are anymore.”



Ben Rasnic finds sanctuary in a quiet Bowie, Maryland subdivision where the only sounds at night are crickets and the lonesome wail of a passing Norfolk Southern freight train.