Sometimes, reading a poem catalyses a thought or emotion that is only tangentially related to the content of the poem.

It happened to me today, when I read ‘Knocks On The Door’ by Maram al-Massri.

I remember that kind of loneliness. It felt toxic and shameful and contagious. It was something to be hidden and denied.

I haven’t been lonely like that in a long time and hope never to be again.

That got me thinking about how solitary I am and what it is that prevents me from slipping into isolation and loneliness.

So I wrote this;