I am alone in a sea of people.  Laughter and voices lap at my body like waves of foam that surround me in all directions, bursting onto my consciousness that is already dripping and soaked in isolation. Flooded with emotions, the sea overwhelms me, making it impossible for me to speak, to hear, to see.  Only can I feel with too much force – messages garbled, perceptions blurred.  The tide rises, and I am adrift. No longer in control, I gasp for breath and blindly search for the rope that leads to both my anchor and my lifeline.

The sea calms and ebbs.                                                                                                          I see you through tears and smile.                                                                                          We’ve passed through the storm.