They have told me this,
a thousand times.
Or maybe even more.
I lost count.
They said I have to socialize.
I need to socialize.
It's not fun to be alone.
They said.
I cringed.
What are you talking about?
I asked them.
Being alone gives me happiness.
It shelters me from your painful judgements.
It isolates me from the cruel world.
And, by being alone,
I have found myself.
And, for once,
I am at peace.