Loneliness is the feeling that makes me wish I could disappear.
At least being invisible would reflect how I feel—
Like nothing.
Nothing is there but loneliness.

She sits quietly, speaking loudly.
Invisible, yet clearly felt.
She keeps me company, and it feels like—
Nothing.
No one.
Just loneliness.

It feels like she’s there because something is wrong with me.
In a world full of people, nobody should feel like this—
Like there is no one who sees you.
No one who feels you.
No one who can hold space and listen to you.
No one who can wrap their arms around you and say, “I understand.”

In the loneliness of being lonely, I think to myself—
“I understand,” but I don’t.
Why is this my sentence?
Why must I know what it’s like to feel—
Like something is wrong with me?

Something you can’t see, something that can’t be diagnosed.
It’s just a normal part of the human experience.
At least, that’s what I tell my clients—
To validate and normalize their experience.

But nothing feels valid or normal when I’m lonely.
It’s like walking around in solitary confinement.
I have tried to capture the reality of this experience,
But there are not enough words to explain—
The pain of loneliness.
It just is.