You are ironically common
in your quest
for authenticity.
Today you envied a cat
for a moment
her un-conflicted cat brain
her frank
nonchalant
thoughts.
The self-help industry thrives
on cases like yours
middle-class
educated
confoundingly
reticent.
They would never guess it about you
like learning a spider
is afraid
of the dark
but your sociability
is not the issue
it’s the grit you seek
to be alive
in the company
of your own gaze.