Alone I Sit

Alone I sit, in the midnight’s glare,

A Bud Light cold, in the empty air.

A lighter rests in my waiting hand,

A cigarette close, like a fleeting stand.

I wonder softly, is the fault in me?

Or in the crowd I fail to see?

Perhaps my flaws are etched too deep,

Or theirs run wide, in shadows steep.

Selfish, I say, with a crooked grin,

That maybe the fault’s not mine within.

For people change like shifting sand,

But I remain, a steady stand.

Yet here I am, with smoke and drink,

Lost in a maze of restless think.

A lonely truth, both cruel and kind—

Sometimes the world just lags behind.

So I raise my can to the starless night,

For the flaws we hide, and the ones in sight.

Maybe in time, I’ll find my way,

Or let the world find me someday.

- Aditya Dube