I shut my eyes to those who stared, Turned from voices that once cared. In my cocoon of fractured thought, I missed the battles they too fought. Walls rose higher, the air grew thin, An empty fortress caged me in. While I stitched my heart, torn and frayed, The world around me slowly decayed. Their laughter died, their colors bled, While I was numb, the light had fled. Healing took a darker turn, A lesson learned too late to earn.