fortress of my own making

when you spent your time building walls around yourself and now you don't have people to spend your time with

it wasn’t supposed to be like this. the walls were meant to protect me, not isolate me. at first, they felt like a sanctuary, a place where i could exist without the risk of being hurt, judged, or misunderstood. i stacked each brick carefully, telling myself it was temporary, that one day i’d open the gates and let someone in. but walls are funny that w…