Community

In my barren grandiosity
I imagine myself
in the foreground
of every drama, every scene.

My pain is real
but yours is theoretical.
My empathy is coinage
to wedge into conversations,
payment in advance for
affirmation
that may never come.

What's wrong with this picture?
Me.

What's real is a circle
of pain and laughter,
all of us seeking
healing
together.