Locked out
she felt stranger than normal these days
as if the world had stolen something precious,
she thought she might enjoy not having to search
for an excuse not to socialise or pretend
to be someone other than herself, that she might relish
the redundancy of company. She forced interaction,
at first, shared the social bubble, smiled
at the singing and shining online, but inadequacy
has a tendency to infiltrate the mind,
no matter how hidden it is.
