I have been alone too long
wanting, but not finding
someone to love.

Too many disappointments
litter my past.
Mirages that seemed like paradise,
but shimmered and crumpled
into the dust.

Other hopes that gleamed
like gold,
but turned out to be of the fool’s kind
when melted and refined.

Far better to travel on, with hope,
down the road of life,
than settle in the land
of compromise.