The Empty Chair

I know long and lonely roads.
My hands, like my pockets, are used to being empty.
There are pieces of me I’ll never find,
and still he tempts me.

I’ve lost money,
family,
lovers,
even friends who swore they were brothers.

An empty chair where she once sat—
a smile, a nod,
a little chat.

Yet through every loss, one truth remained:
Jesus.
Jesus never left me,
just as Saint Matthew proclaimed.