Of all human conditions, solitude is the most universal and the most misunderstood. It is not merely the state of being alone, but the profound awareness of the separateness that defines our existence.
In “The Wound of Solitude”, Cathy Xinman does not simply describe this feeling—she dissects it with lyrical precision and philosophical grace, revealing solitude not as a emptiness to be feared, but as a deep and even triumphant form of connection to ourselves and others.
This is a poem for anyone who has ever felt alone in a crowd, or wondered about the silent spaces between words spoken to loved ones. Xinman crafts a timeless meditation on what it means to love, to long, and to be truly human. She invites us not to flee from solitude, but to embrace it as the very ground where love and self-awareness grow strong.
Let these lines resonate within you. For in acknowledging the wound, we begin to heal it.
The Wound of Solitude
by Cathy Xinman
Calm is more real than indifference.
Unlike night-sailing ships
that glimpse each other briefly before vanishing into darkness.
Two leaves transmit no signals.
They do not fail at trying to communicate,
Nor fail in romantic tales.
Every passing deserves silence—
no, not even silence exists.
People exist in disconnected connections,
for they have never truly possessed.
Sorrow is a brilliant day,
Longing is both blissful and painful.
The wound of solitude is triumphant romance—
this moment, for having been truly felt.
Oh, dear,
I make my devout heart your inner chamber.
Ever since Adam’s rib was made
a companion to solitude,
one day, waking,
you will see it each morning.
Oh no, my dear, love has always been within you.
Cathy Xinman writes poetry in English and Chinese. Find her English-language collection, Where You Love Yourself, on Amazon. You can also hear her poetry on her TikTok page. She is also editor-in-chief The Best Poems of the Year by Chinese Poets & Writers of the World 2025. People with Chinese ancestry can submit poetry to this anthology in Chinese or English by emailing cnawpress@gmail.com.
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