Alone is my operative word. It works well in a Republic, With all those booths and secret ballots. In Autocracies we are wise to keep to ourselves. I'm relieved to be on my own With what I think and what I do. With others, I'm never alone. I don't have far away looks; I'm not fully engaged with me; I can be spotted in a crowd. I'm part of the gathering, and so, I repress alone thoughts and actions. If you're not looking my way, I'm still not alone. Some say they're alone in a crowd. I don't get it. I so get: Shunned. Outcast. Alienated. Isolated. Fringed. Outed. I knew when someone had the cooties. But I'm not. I'm beside myself. Next to an idiot. I'll never leave me alone.