Lonely Poem by Sam Clary

It's strange
Somehow i end up feeling lonely
In a crowd of people
I can feel incredibly lonely surrounded by people
And yet when i retreat to my room
A sanctuary
A safe place
I feel safe and comfortable
I guess that
There's a difference between lonely and alone
When your alone
Completely alone
Truly alone
It's something that you choose to be
And yet when you're surrounded by others
You can feel that gaping chasm
Growing and expanding inside you
A dark and deep abyss
Impenetrable no matter what you do
One that nobody seems willing to cross
Slowly swallowing you whole
With no chance of escape
It's odd, being surrounded by people
But managing to feel still and completely alone
As though there's a wall separating you from the rest of the world
Leaving you to the insanity of solitary confinement
Making you feel as though your on display
And as your voice becomes quiet
Your psyche gets louder and louder
Until that's all you can hear
Being alone is often a choice
But loneliness is not
The feeling of loneliness can hit you like a train sometimes
Knocking you off your feet when you least expect it