You think you know who I really am?

I am really just the shell of a man.

I reply when you talk and smile when you do.

But let

I am staring, studying, stagnating
Counting the rotations of ceiling fan blades
Cataloging spider web cracks in old, dry

above it all alone...

I watch the sun rise
but I don't feel the warmth
I watch the mist seep across the lawn
kissing each blade

Trapped within my own mind
Isolated from mankind
Fear encompasses my soul
The truth must be told
I cannot face reality
It is

Isolation brings contemptuousness to the surface,
when you do not allow the emptiness to be there.
You must connect to others,