Life-
the inevitable
of self
in juxtaposition
with everyone else

the prelude
to relationships
beautiful
unsavoury
beneficial
or hurtful

the nexus
that's hard
to sever
even when
one has to suffer

in silence
unknown
to the other

sanity lies
in knowing oneself
in self-certitude
unshaken
by the world

where true selfhood
and freedom unfurl