I Am An Introvert

"Do not worry. You have always written before and you will write now. All you have to do is write one true sentence."

My one true sentence: I am an introvert.

I am an introvert. I am a constant introvert. I find my comfort in the quiet corners of rooms. I wrap the curtains of music around me and narrow my searching eyes at a page that will grant me solace from an outside that is too loud and too fast. I cloak myself in words that tell of a world I would not survive in, a world of confrontation and crowds and constant sidekicks. Battle scenes make me tired. I can feel the noise of war in my bones. Dialogue makes me nervous. My hands shake through the small talk. 

My favorite books revolve around those that chose the quiet corners, whether they meant to or not. I took the journey through Sara's attic, a little princess in her lonely rags. I got lost in Mary's secret garden, a quiet corner behind a hidden door. I ran from Voldemort in the woods, reveling in the understanding silence between two haunted wizards. Boo Radley made me jealous, all alone in his old house. I know the perks of being a wallflower. 

But my stories always end. My lonely protagonists discover happy endings but not in great battle or sweeping love affairs. Sara discovers her father in a shadowed corner; Mary builds her garden; Harry saves the word through one solitary sacrifice; and Charlie feels infinite by himself in the back of a truck. And I find myself in my corner, running quiet words through my head, building my energy in humble stories. 

And so I'll change my one true sentence. We are introverts. Not together, but through each other. 

--

By Chelsea Poole