Lonely One

Bernon l. Howery

In my neighborhood lives a young man

Who goes off alone whenever he can

To just walk or ride or roam by himself

Without fear or worry or anything else.

When you see him with people they are usually his brothers;

He shares very little with neighbors and others.

*But his brothers are so lively and socially strong,

Therefore, he is not with them too long

Now, this lonely one has one really good friend;

This is where his social life begin, and end,

'Cause when his friend has talked, laughed and gone,

He closes his mouth and walks off alone.

And this lonely one, just who does he love?

Why, isn't this something all human think of?

Maybe it's just easy for us to understand.

But love seems to means nothing to this lonely man.

For with no foolish girls in his way,

This lonely one walks around each day

Not missing or worrying about his next date

Or where to go or being late.

And he doesn't think much of things in the past;

Why should he think of something he never had?

But, being Black, he read of slavery times.

And these memories only he kept deep in his mind

Because of what he read of slavery times,

This man is hardened, lonely, but he is not blind.

He believes White's hatred is here for always

As it continues to grow from those dark yesterdays.

He is saddened by the bad acts of men against men,

Who can place human value on the mere color of skin.

And, though his feelings for Whites are rather uptight,

He has little to do with Blacks, others and Whites.

And this lonely one doesn't like to fight, but then,

He's more important than you young men,

Because lonely is he and lonely he'll stay

Just walking and roaming in no one's way

Now this lonely one is great I feel

But somehow it just doesn't seem real

How a person can be born and live,

Taking nothing from life, having nothing to give.

Now, he has no lust for thing to discuss,

He has no time for prattle and, thus,

He lives on being my greatest envy;

As I live on wishing he were me.

Written originally in 1967 for English Class

Revised February 21, 2021

Bernon L. Howery is not a new writer, but he is new to publishing from small town, Pembroke Township, Illinois. He has been a student of Communications Studies and Liberal Studies. He has written several poems about real life facts from the Civil Rights/Black Movement era. "The Lonely One," a poem inspired by his childhood, high-school sweetheart, a non-Black girl and tells the life of a young man's handling of the changing times Black male highschoolers had to face.