I dwell alone in this gray hinterland,
While friends I love live past its edge.
An outsider — I’ve made my stand,
My soul unmoved by local pledge.

They cast their judgment, dull and dry,
Their world drained of hue or grace.
But I won't flinch, nor question why —
For love once lived in a brighter place.

For my friends, I’ll bear this ache,
This exile etched in time and land.
It’s fleeting, like a dream I’ll shake,
A fading echo I’ll not withstand.

For my heart, I’ll cross the line,
To warmth, to truth, to those who see —
The ones who held my hand in time,
The ones who simply loved all of me.