ALONE

You don’t know how fond I am of being alone.

The soul loves ancient guests from far away,

but they arrive only when you are alone.

Don’t say it’s hard to stand loneliness.

Wherever you are, in a village or on an island,

you won’t lack divine friends

as long as you don’t step out your door.

You don’t know how I hate networking.

Banquets of a dozen courses

and endless parties cannot shrink

the distances between people.

The noise keeps you from hearing the voices of old,

and you make “siblings” randomly.

You don’t know how happy I am when alone.