I try to chip away
At this massive glass wall in front of me
Trying not to let the pain and loneliness overtake me
Suddenly I realize
I can turn around
I turn around to see so many others with me
Those trapped behind walls of their own
And those that have broken out
They wave and smile and ******* kisses
They know what it’s like
To have the world shut out in a way they don’t understand
We’re in our own world here
Our breaths are shared and our stories are passed
Through the most unlikely connections
We have our own family behind this glass
Something people may scoff at
But they just don’t get it
The relief of finding someone else
The true representation of joy from hardship
Finding a community
In this shared space
Behind the glass

Sitting down with them
The glass wall is still there
My mind is worried, yet hopeful
Unsure of what’s to come
Suddenly
They punch through the glass
The shards fly in slow motion
Striking into my heart
Like the words they just uttered
They broke the glass
Because someone broke the trust
My wounded heart sinks into my stomach
I have no idea what’s to come
Now that the glass is broken
I feel vulnerable
Naked on a stage in front of hundreds
I don’t feel well
While they say it’s alright
I’m still uneasy
The words of comfort are bandaids on my wounds
There’s no putting the glass back together
While this wall shouldn’t exist in a perfect world
It made me feel safe
But now
I don’t know what to think
Or how to feel
Now that the glass is broken

Still stuck behind the glass wall
There’s no use in getting out
No use in communicating
The people on the other side have given up, too
I slump down to the floor in a state of defeat
Resting my head on my knees
Suddenly
I feel a knocking on the glass
Slowly
I turned my head
A smile grew on my face
Someone like me!
Someone that understands!
I could tell in his eyes
He was behind a glass wall, too
“Do you feel my heart saying hi?”
A bond formed
From nothing else
But our life behind those glass walls
I reached through the glass
And took his hand
I’m no longer alone

I feel like I’m on one side
Of a glass wall
The rest of my world
Is on the other
We can communicate
If we try really
Really
Hard
It is exhausting
“Why don’t you just break the glass?”
Easier said than done
When the other side
Has all of the tools
“We’ll break the glass for you!”
The rocks you will use
To break the glass
Will break me too
You don’t understand
What it’s like
To be on the other side
Of the glass