Perhaps

I have a strange affliction
or so it seems
As I get to know people
they drift further away

The more I share with them
the less they care to stay
The more I try to please them
the more they lose esteem

But a stranger will say hello every day
With a smile and a greeting
they brighten up my way

They don’t know my secrets
my flaws, or my mistakes
They don’t expect anything from me
or make me feel afraid

Perhaps I should remain a stranger
to everyone I meet
Perhaps I should not open up
or let them see me weak

Perhaps I should not hope for more
or dream of something deep
But then again
perhaps not

Perhaps there is a chance
that someone out there will accept me
and love me as I am

That someone out there will not drift away
but hold me by the hand