born into solitude

i didn’t grow into solitude
i was born into it.

a quiet child,
avoiding crowds,
finding comfort in my own world
with only a dog beside me
(now a cat).

then life pulled me toward
the wrong people,
and i learned to perform
in hopes of being liked.
that’s when i first lost myself.

but this past year,
i’ve been finding my way back
back to the girl i was
before the world taught me to pretend.

and now i know:
i never needed to change.
i was enough the entire time,
even in the places
i didn’t fit in.