Loneliness rises like bile in my throat
As I take to heart that solemn decree,
Their inside jokes and bouts of laughter
Never, it seems, are they meant for me. 

The treasure of girlhood, so distant it seems,
When friendship was sure as pinkies that swear,
A promise forged clear with nothing amiss,
Before we were caught in complacency's snare.

Visions of welcome play through my mind's eye,
Where a best friend is waiting to skip hand in hand,
To listen to secrets and whisper at dusk,
Our memories count more than there are grains of sand.

I hear the whole party as it echoes above,
As if I'm in the cellar and they're in a cloud,
Frantically trying to pick the right lock,
Lest I be swallowed by anonymity's shroud.

I scream and I shout but no one can hear
And I'm yearning to catch just a glimpse of my fate
When the lock finally gives, but I've struggled in vain
As a single unoccupied chair there awaits.