I stand within the crowd,
but I do not belong to it.

I am close enough
to feel the rhythm pass through us —
a shared pulse,
a moment of collective breath.

But I keep my edges.

My people are beside me.
My space is intact.

I do not need to expand
to include everyone
in order to be part of something.

Like the puffins on the cliff,
I gather for safety —
not for closeness.

There is comfort
in standing near others
who understand the same sky,
without needing
to speak to them at all.

                        — Frost ❄️