A Cambridge Lamentation

Carl Halling

This place is always a little lonely

At the weekends...no noise and life;

I like solitude,

But not in places

Where's there's recently been

A lot of people.

Reclusiveness protects you

From nostalgia,

And you can be as nostalgic

In relation to what happened

Half an hour ago,

As half a century ago, in fact more so.

                                                             

I went to the Xmas party.

I danced,

And generally lived it up.

I went to bed sad though.

Discos exacerbate

My sense of solitude.

My capacity for social warmth,

Excessive social dependence,

And romantic zeal,

Can be practically deranging;

It's no wonder I feel the need

To escape...

                                                            

Escape from my own

Drastic social emotivity,

And devastating capacity

For loneliness.

I feel trapped here;

There's no

Outlet for my talents.

                                                            

In such a state as this,

I could fall in love with anyone.

The night before last

I went to the ball,

Couples filing out, 

I wanted to be half of every one, 

But I didn't want to lose ***. 

I'll get over how I feel now,

And very soon.

Gradually I'll freeze again,

Even assuming an extra layer of snow. 

I have to get out of here.

  • Author: Carl Halling (Offline Offline)
  • Published: December 6th, 2015 00:21
  • Comment from author about the poem: "A Cambridge Lamentation" centres on my brief stay at a teacher training college contained within the University of Cambridge, with its campus at Hills Road just outside the city centre. A fusion of previously published pieces, it was primarily adapted, some years ago now, from an unfinished and unsent letter, penned just before Christmas 1986, but never sent.
  • Category: Reflection
  • Views: 46


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