Tŝilhqox Biny, or Chilko Lake, facing North
Alone is a state that each person chooses to reside in
Unless you’re psychotic or otherwise out of your head
Or last person standing after an apocalypse.
Alone, a real challenge to find in densely populated places.
Being alone has its own challenges in places that aren’t.
When one is truly alone, dropped off in the wilderness
to fend for oneself, silence can be deafening, as relentless
as whoosh of wind or waves reminds that time goes on.
Alone is noticing with meticulousness how each berry
color and texture changes with each day. It is noticing
the green of wild onions fading on the hillside.
Alone is feeling your belly roar when the gill net pulls
empty again. It is tears when marten raids rabbit snares.
Alone is starless night at single digits and fire burns low.
It is the snuffle of bear outside cabin, stealing berry cache.
It is missing the presence, faces of lover and children.
Alone is what you choose to take a chance on, perhaps
win a prize, but mostly to feel hungry with every emptiness.
Last week, I binge-watched Season 8 of Alone, where ten contestants are dropped off in the middle of an extremely isolated part of the world with a limited number of survival items. Above is a composite of their experiences as well as that of those to choose to inhabit such a lifestyle other than to win money.
Season 8 location is, per wikipedia:
Tŝilhqox Biny (Pronounced: Tsyle-koh Bee), known as Chilko Lake, is a 180 km2 lake in west-central British Columbia, at the head of the Chilko River on the Chilcotin Plateau. The lake is about 65 km long, with a southwest arm 10 km long. It is one of the largest lakes by volume in the province because of its great depth, and the largest above 1,000 m in elevation. It and Harrison Lake are the largest lakes in the southern Coast Mountains. On March 11, 2019, the Province of British Columbia, working with the Tŝilhqot’in National Government, officially changed the name of the lake from Chilko Lake to Tŝilhqox Biny.
Kim is today’s host for dVerse’ Poetics. Kim says:
The challenge is to write a poem on the quality of a different thing (noun, verb, adjective) using the same format of title: ‘The Quality of…’;
Tao-Talk 
This is incredibly deep and poignant, Lisa. I especially resonate with; “Alone is starless night at single digits and fire burns low.” Yes! 💙💙
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Sanaa, thank you <3
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You’re most welcome! 🥂
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“Alone is noticing with meticulousness how each berry
color and texture changes with each day. It is noticing
the green of wild onions fading on the hillside.”
I love this part. This is so me. I would love to get dropped off on an island somewhere.🏝️
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Thank you very much, Melissa. So did all of the contestants ;)
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I love how you took the idea from a televisions series, one which I have never seen but I know the format, and found so much in it. The title itself is a micro poem: the quality of being alone, and I’m amazed how deeply you have delves into its qualities. I really love the lines:
‘Alone is noticing with meticulousness how each berry
color and texture changes with each day’
and
‘It is the snuffle of bear outside cabin, stealing berry cache’.
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Thanks much, Kim. My older son recommended it to me. Quite an experience just watching it cannot imagine experiencing it. Makes me appreciate what Bjorn and his wife did last year that much more.
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I couldn’t do it, Lisa My arthritic hip would have too much to say about it.
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Li, I find this as a continuation of your incredible poem about love. It may have been inspired by the series but it taps into the ‘alone’ feeling we have all felt at sometime. ❤️
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Punam, thank you for noticing it is linked to the other poem, and 100% yes on a universal feeling from time to time aside from the series <3
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You are so welcome, Li. 🙂❤️
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Funny how ‘alone’ and ‘lonely’ don’t mean the same thing. Doing things alone is praiseworthy. Loneliness is pitiful. I like how you built up this ‘alone’ into a place full of things and life.
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Thanks, Jane. I also wanted to emphasize that it is a choice (other than the exceptions I mentioned.)
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I like how you tapped into the “Alone” show for inspiration and to read it first without being aware of that made it even more interesting! Love it.
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Thanks for the feedback, Mish, much appreciated.
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I love your perspective of being alone. Your opening verse made me smile! Well done.
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Dwight, many thanks.
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You are welcome.
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“Alone is a state that each person chooses to reside in”
Luv the thought that there is choice in aloneness
Happy you dropped by my blog
Much💚love
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Gillena, thanks much.
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Oh you nailed this L. , perfectly capturing the alone. I haven’t seen any of the TV series; the concept alone just blows my mind. I could never. Thanks for this fine work.
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Ron, thank you for the kind words. Much appreciated.
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captured beautifully Li! ❣️
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Thanks much, Cindy <3
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You’re so welcome!!! 💞
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This is profound in its vivid descriptions of ‘aloneness.’ Overwhelming actually.
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<3
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While being alone at times can be a good thing to reflect and collect your thoughts, the idea of being “dropped off in the middle of an extremely isolated part of the world with a limited number of survival items” sounds pretty frightening to me. Without survival training, which I would hope all contestants had, it looks like a recipe for disaster!
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Christian, all of the contestants had to go through a screening process and prove they had survival skills, and as the show moved along it showed that they did. That said, the environment was SO HARSH for humans that it was quite scary to watch them. For one thing the place was swarming with bears! Grizzly and black bears. Another is, although they were right on the water, they were unable to have much success getting fish in any fashion. One of the regulations is that they couldn’t even start gill netting until 45 days had passed. By then they were all pretty weak.
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It still sounds pretty scary. Grizzlies and black bears? Yikes! I’m pretty sure all contestants had to sign a million waivers so the organizers of this contest couldn’t be held liable in case anything bad would happen to the contestants.
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Choice does make a difference in how alone we feel, but even then, it can be overwhelming. I like how you’ve made each experience come alive. (K)
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Well-said, Kerfe, exactly how I feel about it.
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What a challenging theme to write one and you did a good job of capturing the nuances and depth of being alone. This is my favorite part:
Alone is what you choose to take a chance on, perhaps
win a prize, but mostly to feel hungry with every emptiness.
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Thank you very much, Grace.
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At first I envisioned Naked and Afraid. I guess they aren’t alone though. I wouldn’t be able to go to that extreme but there is a piece of me that loves to be alone. I think that is why I like taking road trips by myself.
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Christine, they are each totally alone. They are all around in this area but separated from one another. The rescue team is a walkie talkie away. Haven’t seen Naked and Afraid, but being in that area naked would be a death sentence.
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p.s. I like to be by myself a lot of the time and I enjoy living alone, but that kind of isolation can be tough on you in many ways if watching these folks is any indication.
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I know people have gone crazy in certain situations. I know I would just scare myself so bad that I would end up in a ball crying! Lol. I freak myself out all the time!
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I love the Alone Series! Season 8 was the one I started with. So good. Your poem highlighted the challenges and circumstances perfectly! Well done!
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Chu, glad you are familiar with S8. It’s what was available on Netflix so it’s the only one I’ve seen. Thank you.
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I started it on Netflix, too. Then I started watching the others on Hulu. I think S8 is still my favorite as far as survival abilities. I love watching how everyone handles being alone psychologically.
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Oh, I didn’t know it was on Hulu. It’s so intense that I’m not sure I could binge-watch another season. Yes, how their psychology plays itself out is very riveting to me also.
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Love this poem Li. Alone can be heavenly or torturous
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For sure, Sadje. Thank you <3
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🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
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I love being alone. But maybe not to the extent that a marten raid can cause hunger. Great take!
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D, it was tough to watch the show as it went on, as most/all of them were slowly starving. Thanks much.
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Well, Lisa, I wouldn’t want to be alone in the wilderness…especially after reading this! But you captured the contestants’ predicaments in visceral detail…and i think we all need periods of “alone time”.
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Lisa, this is so deep and poignant… I like my alone time, but I wouldn’t want to be alone in the wilderness. That last stanza really resonated with me. I get that feeling.
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Colleen, thank you for your lovely comment.
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I’m not an only child but being so far behind my sister (8 years) she was out of the house early…so I was alone a lot…and I do like alone time…every night I do get that for 45 minutes to an hour….I wouldn’t want to be all the time…but I do need it.
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Max, it is nice when couples give each other their space. Not all couples do.
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Sorry for the late reply…yes…we both need that and from the beginning it was understood.
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Super dreamy image. I imagined that you captured on a flight to somewhere. 🤓
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:) Thank you, Gia.
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