Much of the time,

I get in my own way

It seems like I am shy,

When really I’m afraid.

Often I will stay in,

Feeling so alone,

And try to hide it with a grin,

So that nobody really knows.

I laugh when I’m supposed to cry,

I find I often laugh.

I don’t really know how or why,

I’m not a psychopath.

People can be so very mean,

It feels safer to disappear.

But when I succumb to that,

I give in to my fear.

Sometimes I forget how easy it is,

To say hello to a stranger,

To do the right thing,

In spite of the danger.

Easy is rare,

Life can really get hard,

And all you can do

Is to doesn’t through your heart.

I wish I could take some of my own advice,

But it’s easier said than done.

Fear coats my body,

It’s already won.