ALONE IN THE DARK

I sit alone by the table.
I hear voices.
Sounds of movement.
Sounds of life.

I reach out.
I feel something smooth.
A plate.
A meal.

Smells tickle my nose.
Aromas of chicken.
Sweet smells of pudding.
Smells of life.

What color is the food?
Is the sun shining?
Are the faces around me young or old?
So many questions.

Questions I can’t answer,
I’ve never been able to answer.
For I’ve been blind,
Living in the dark for years.

The nursing home is now my prison.
I sit alone, 
Ignored by the staff,
Poked by the staff.

This is not the ending
I would have envisioned for myself. 
A darkness too encompassing.
A sadness too overwhelming.