When they opened him up, they spotted
In his stomach cavity, a vacuum.
He’d told them it was there
But no one believed him.
They knew what had been there
They saw the scar where the cord had been cut,
It retracted upon touch,
The shame still so real.
Around his bed, they gathered to consider the options.
“We could fill it with stuffing,” said one
“Counsel him, he might adopt a replacement,” the hopeful one suggested.
“He’s long in the tooth now,” explained another.
“Does he really want to go down that path again?” asked the wise one.
They pondered the emotional hole
What might be best?
He’d have to face the fact he was past it now
He’d had chances in life and blown them all
There was a limit to the emotion allotted to him.
One then touched his hand, felt it tighten,
He still craved the human touch.
“Best let him heal,” said the headman.
So they left him, knowing he might or might not
Seek love again; find cause to fill the vacuum.
His past record was grim in itself
They didn’t hold much hope.
Morpethroad 
Gosh, what a piece of writing. I started off laughing at the thought of a vacuum in the stomach and thought you’d write about an insatiable appetite. Then I realised you were talking about an emotional vacuum. By the end I felt like crying. I think the voice that said let him heal was very wise. Nature can offer great solace to those of us who carry an emotional void inside. That’s been my experience anyway.
Thanks so much Suzanne, yes you are right we all heal in our own way and its a very individual reaction, after all you can’t put a band-aid on emotional pain.
No indeed. I hope you find sources of joy in the coming weeks. All the best – Suzanne
Very powerful Michael
Thanks Bill
very well written, autobiographical?
I think most things we would write on a subject such as this are based around our own experiences, so yes a lot of it is autobiographical.
maybe your good friend is the one to fill that vacuum 🙂