Lonely

Swimming in a sea of people I am alone.
I hear laughter and that brings me comfort.
I see children, one little girl pushes a stroller
twice her size and empty, smiling, and I smile.
There is life all around me. But I am alone.
Home is far away, that is where I want to be.
Home is where I can sit in a room by myself
without feeling alone. My cat is there. He knows
my soul. His warmth hushes the angry
buzzing in my head. He replaces it with a purr.
But I am alone. I talk to people who say
they are my friends. They do not calm the noise that
makes me fear silence. And loneliness. They try
To fill my head with their voices, but still, I am lonely.
Maybe I have found a new home. It is
less lonely in that place. Quiet. But full
in a way. I cannot say. I don't want to
jinx it. But, maybe soon, I won't be so,
lonely.