The anguish in this alienating aloneness is alarmingly enlightening I am aware as the colors of my aura fade from vibrant to mute A spiraling sense of self grasps at false promises of hope or help Each face that shows itself as an ally is simply mirage or ghost Or wisps of nothingness I probably hallucinated to cope I am an anchor in a rushing tide Life floods by with no more than a glance over the shoulder Some collide from behind urging me to move on, frustrated when I don’t align with their idea of time I need to be unapologetically ‘not ok’ Imagine my electric shock when I find that’s not an option The anguish in this alienating aloneness is alarmingly enlightening