As I skimmed through the March issue of Teen Ink, I searched for an interesting piece to read. Nothing really captivated me when I looked at the memoirs and reviews, so I thought, Maybe I should go check out the poem section. I rarely do but I’m lucky I did because I found the short yet meaningful piece, “Mr. Loneliness” by “Heather.” It is a great poem, personifying what is perceived to be “loneliness,” which wouldn’t be quite clear to me (since I am a pretty slow person) without the title. The poem tells the innocent-seeming actions of loneliness, who is in reality, a very harmful being. “Heather” is kind enough to warn us about him, though.                              The thing I really enjoyed about this poem is “Heather’s” loneliness personification. According to her poem, “Mr. Loneliness,” “he showed up at your door with a bottle/ of fine wine/ and poured himself a glass. When he offered you one with an outstretched hand/ you accepted almost too eagerly.” This gives the reader a sense of maturity from Mr. Loneliness. Loneliness is shown as a man young enough to prop his feet “on your kitchen table” without breaking his back, yet old enough to drink wine. This might be meant to portray loneliness as something inducing, especially since he also shows kindness, because loneliness is something that many people have a problem with. Everyone deals with it at times and “Heather” describes it perfectly in the line, “but he sucks the color right out of my living room and I tell him to find a new place to stay. This time he has found you.” Loneliness is like a cold - it’s contagious, which means if you get through with it, it’ll go over to the other person; this point is made by “Heather” in her poem.                                                             Her piece reveals the truth about loneliness and puts it in a very different way than other writers would. She involves figurative language, specifically personification, in her poem, giving loneliness a cunning personality, which fits him quite well. I usually deal with Mr. Loneliness myself, although I am surrounded by many supportive people in my life. When I believe people just don’t understand, I “listen to his stories,” share mine, “learn from him and smile with him” because I know he will understand. However, he is simply deceiving me. I am able to learn that from “Heather’s” last line, “whatever you do, do not trust him.” This line gives me support by warning me about Mr. Loneliness’ true intentions, so I want to give my thanks to “Heather.” I’m sure I’ll be able to get rid of him . . . eventually (he is lying on my bed and watching me as I type this now).