One

Some arrive in pairs; 
More leave coupled, 
Sometimes in multiples.  
But there is always one constant, 
One figure, one: 
Me.

One is the number of letters in I, 
The word embedded in lone,
And alone—a singular too.  
The power of one changes nothing, 
And I feel so close to nothing sometimes.  
One is so close to zero— 
But it is where I must be,
For it is more than zero.  
It is the top of my mountain.

Thus I press on.  
I take what others have given me,
Remember the moments they decide 
To leave me by myself.  
I push and bend
And continue to climb.

One is where I am at 
And how I will leave
When it is my time to go.  
Some things never change, 
But I’m finally okay with that,
With myself
And everyone can see it.