! L O N E L Y Poem by Michael Shepherd
! L O N E L Y
l o n e l y
on the paper, on the screen
all by itself
l o n e l y
is it,
does it think it is,
is it happy to be like that
is it happy to be,
does it hope for company
does it enjoy its own company?
does it look at itself
and say oh look
I'm one
guarded by two ells
that's alright then
Shakespeare, yes, was
the first to use it,
made it up
all by himself
felt he/we needed it
to say something that
hadn’t been said before
in quite the same way with
quite the same sound
the sound of lonely
he invented more words
than any other person
ever
why was that
next time
you read it
l o n e l y
you might think of him
being lonely
or exactly the opposite
smiling as he invented it
knowing it could be useful
smiling at you
saying yes I know
but I’m here for you
I love reading this..Coming from a great poet like you, i am honored to have read your works..
A unique theme, placement of words, commentary....Never knew Shakespeare invented lonely. Something draws me to this work you've produced, but I've yet to figure why. Go with the flow, Michael. Catch the comet's tail and FLY.
Fantastic Michael I finally found you, love your poem and you speak of one of my favourites 'Shakespeare' himself. I agree with Will, this is an amazing write.-Melvina-
Michael, Just want you to know this is one of my favourite poems...
A thought provoking write... I never really looked at 'lonely' in that light. Thanks for sharing... now I'll think of you whenever I read the word!
Very interesting write. Words with similar meanings sometimes seem to have quite unique 'feelings' that attach themselves in our minds. Alone, lone, lonely, all just a bit different to my mind. Sole, Solitary, Solitude again with these the emotional reaction differs. I really enjoyed this piece thanks Michael.
'One guarded by two ells' - how can anyone ever feel lonely when they think about it like this? I love how the Bard has inspired this wonderful musing from you Michael. it's going into my faves.Thankyou. Justine.
charming, and you got 12 comments for it, too! I too loved the observation, 'a 'one' guarded by two ells'...how'd I never think of that? A little cummings-esque, though his commentary would likely have more compression and less accessibility (I'm not saying one is preferable to the other) . How DID Shakespeare invent 35,000 words? How do you inject a word into the language like a transfusion? I could say 'brabble' and define it as, say, 'chatter about words' (based on 'scrabble' and 'banter'?) . But I wouldn't know how to get the world to take it on. I guess it may help to be a playwright, and use roots of known words.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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12/4/2025 11:27:04 PM # 1.0.0
it is amazing just how many words the Bard of Avon invented. And this one lends itself to contemplation as much as any other. Nice work.