I will disappear for hours, days, months, and the occasional year. It’s not something I plan. It’s not something I can help, and it’s not something I like. But I ignore my phone, abandon my computer mid-conversation, and like to sit alone sometimes. 

It’s not you, it’s me (the one time you’ll hear that and it will be true). There are times when I crave attention, appreciation, and acknowledgement. But then come the anxieties, the stresses, and the loathing that follow each of those. Occasionally, even the softest touch can send shivers of pure disdain rocketing over synapses. 

I wear a veil of invisibility, irrelevance, and though it is frequently lifted or brushed aside, know that it always remains, that it will always cast shadows.