The Telegraph Operator

I will not wash my face;
      I will not brush my hair;
I “pig” around the place —
      There’s nobody to care.
Nothing but rock and tree;
      Nothing but wood and stone,
Oh, God, it’s hell to be
      Alone, alone, alone!

Snow-peaks and deep-gashed draws
      Corral me in a ring.
I feel as if I was
      The only living thing
On all this blighted earth;
      And so I frowst and shrink,
And crouching by my hearth
      I hear the thoughts I think.

I think of all I miss —
      The boys I used to know;
The girls I used to kiss;
      The coin I used to blow:
The bars I used to haunt;
      The racket and the row;
The beers I didn’t want
      (I wish I had ’em now).

Day after day the same,
      Only a little worse;
No one to grouch or blame —
      Oh, for a loving curse!
Oh, in the night I fear,
      Haunted by nameless things,
Just for a voice to cheer,
      Just for a hand that clings!

Faintly as from a star
      Voices come o’er the line;
Voices of ghosts afar,
      Not in this world of mine;
Lives in whose loom I grope;
      Words in whose weft I hear
Eager the thrill of hope,
      Awful the chill of fear.

I’m thinking out aloud;
      I reckon that is bad;
(The snow is like a shroud) —
      Maybe I’m going mad.
Say! wouldn’t that be tough?
      This awful hush that hugs
And chokes one is enough
      To make a man go “bugs”.

There’s not a thing to do;
      I cannot sleep at night;
No wonder I’m so blue;
      Oh, for a friendly fight!
The din and rush of strife;
      A music-hall aglow;
A crowd, a city, life —
      Dear God, I miss it so!

Here, you have moped enough!
      Brace up and play the game!
But say, it’s awful tough —
      Day after day the same
(I’ve said that twice, I bet).
      Well, there’s not much to say.
I wish I had a pet,
      Or something I could play.

Cheer up! don’t get so glum
      And sick of everything;
The worst is yet to come;
      God help you till the Spring.
God shield you from the Fear;
      Teach you to laugh, not moan.
Ha! ha! it sounds so queer —
      Alone, alone, alone!