The Lifebuoy

 

Foundation.

A piece based on work place infidelity.

The question is:

If you spend 8 to 10 hours, when you're feeling energetic with work colleagues, and 4 to 6 at home with your partner, when you're tired.

Do work colleagues slowly start being more attractive, and is that why many office workers break up?

Title.

The Lifebuoy

(A lone voice whispers)

Floating like a lonely lifebuoy

In a hurricane of raw emotional seas after work

That defied all known physics

A secret version of The Pacific 

When I was drowning in a New Stone Age 

Created by critics

In my version of the Mesolithic

With pain written and carved across my soul

In shed blood and tears

Like Egyptian hieroglyphics 

You once floated my way in the staff room 

And with soft tender lips and gentle eyes

You held me with tightened fingers as my lifebuoy

Kept us both afloat

You whispered hidden secrets to me

To help me cope

As I to you 

Mystery Schools

Would beg to hear

Stories

Hopes

Fears and dreams

As we both floated in that mythical sea

For what seemed forever

You and me

Clasped so tightly

Together

In that crazy weather

But deep below at work 

The great sharks

Were circling

My lifebuoy held

Strong

Though

Chained 

To the bottom

Of that rough sea

Your grip firm

But then one day

You slipped

A voice in the office 

Caught your eye

In the near distance

And in that instance

Wet with that sea

You floated away 

From me

Watching with saddened eyes when you packed up and left

As I floated by

I can still remember looking at you

On the crest of that huge Nazare wave

That suddenly appeared

And screaming inside 

Over that ocean

Of never-ending undulating emotions

But I now know after the passing of time 

Love given freely

When accepted in any known form

Should be cherished

No matter how long

Or wrong

With no guilt attached if it chooses to leave 

For in that moment when guilt or regrets appear as you greave

Always remember the magic of that old song

Love will come 

When you're ready

To start going steady 

Our song

That helped us float

Together 

In that brief moment

Forever

A sonnet

We both once heard

No matter how tragic

And if I remember, as you walked out of that door 

You smiled

Then disappeared 

Forever

When that old familiar fire of ours

In your eyes 

Died 

And I floated away

Alone

Just another

Bobbing red and white

Lifebuoy

Looking for another

To meld with

To reach

Me

In that secret version of The Pacific 

With memories of your fingertips and sweet smiles

Glorious stories

And all those magical things

That once created a love song

That now still plays

As it heals

Somewhere

Deep

Within me

I just hope Love will come 

Because now I'm nearly healed

I'll soon be ready to start going steady 

(C)

Copyright John Duffy

Image shared under fair usage policy