Is there still Time to

What is it to be a woman all alone?
I know what it is.
Being a woman makes all the difference.
Freedom – it is open to men.
To a woman, especially a lone woman
almost too hard to attain,
exemptions granted.
In general, with ordinary folk
it is a bit too rough a path.

I wasted so many good years of my life,
clinging to people, one after the other,
adhering to principles, throwing away chances.
All the humiliations I have suffered,
all the insults, all the deprivations,
all the disillusionments, all the losses,
they weigh me down.

I am accused of being stupid.
It hurts though it is true in many ways,
when it comes from those handfuls of people
I still count close to my heart.

Then I realize what it is to be
a good friend, a good companion
a good support.
It is to be there quiet, listening;
not criticising, not blaming,
not advising, not counselling,
not pacifying with words hollow.
It is just being there,
by your side through thick and thin.

Because words alone will do no magic.
To each person life is unique.
One’s comprehension of it will not match
the other’s perception and experience.
To each, situations, opportunities
experiences all differ.
Putting one’s trust in others....
if that be a crime, I am guilty of it.
Is there a chance to rectify?
Is there still time to?