Standing far apart from colleagues' crowded space.

I wear my silence as my shield.

Not because I fear their voices, their presence,

But knowing their whispers lead to destruction.

They once betrayed my trust,

They turn a simple moment into a tale untrue.

Inventing words I never spoke

Painted lies, unjust, covering my body in shame.

 They cast me as the villain of the story they created.

I became their content to fill their empty spaces.

I became their joy because my isolation is their happiness.

My presence is their grief.

I chose to isolate, my decision, my life... because I love them, still.