The thrill of opening night, 

less than thrilling this time

Loneliness is a persistent muse

who creeps unexpectedly, unwanted,

awkwardly into my thoughts,

on her terms, in her time

Their walls of sadness surround them, engulf them

An isolation of suffering that threatens to suffocate them

They wanted me to stay inside their box,

to color inside their lines

I didn't yet know hope could just explode,

without a warning sign

You sit neglected,
like the last kid to be picked at recess

My heart, despite the warnings,

carelessly leaping

Look at us dancing with gleeful abandon

as the tape of your childhood plays