Shadow of Becoming

Alone

Alone, I stand, but not apart,
A silence that lingers within my heart.
I walk a path, just me and the night,
Yet I am whole, still holding tight.
Alone, I choose this solitude,
A time to think, to reflect, to renew.
Not empty, not lost, just at rest,
Alone but not lacking, feeling blessed.

Isolation, on the other hand, is deep,
A chasm where shadows silently creep.
It wraps around you, cold and tight,
Taking your spirit, dimming the light.
To be isolated is to be unseen,
Trapped in a world of silent screams.
A distance not chosen, but forced by fate,
Where the soul withers, and love is late.

Alone is a space where I can be,
With no one else, but I am still free.
I find strength in the quiet, peace in the wait,
Embracing myself, no need to escape.
But isolation is different, cruel, and wide,
It cuts you open, and you cannot hide.
It takes your voice, your mind, your will,
A prison where emptiness is still.

So the difference is clear, yet often blurred,
Alone is a choice, isolation's a word.
One lets you breathe, the other steals air,
One gives you peace, the other despair.
To be alone is to be one with your soul,
To be isolated is to lose control.
Both can feel heavy, both can be deep,
But only isolation makes you weep.

I'm fortunate to be alone, not isolated,
For in solitude, I find myself, unaffiliated.
I choose this space, to be my own,
To reflect, to breathe, to heal, to grown.
But some days, the line between them blurs,
As isolation whispers, and my heart stirs.
The feeling that I am truly alone,
A shadow, a thought, I'm far from home.

If I choose to be alone, I can rise,
Face the world with open eyes.
But if I chose isolation, where would I go?
I'd be lost, swallowed whole by sorrow's flow.
The weight would crush, the pain would spread,
And in the silence, I might as well be dead.