Sometimes I will get so desperate for human contact that I will write and write and write a great expurgation of my soul, ready to post, ready to advertise my need for contact—only to realize that I do not have the courage at all. This time, I finally clicked to post. I was banned from posting. It felt very intriguing. It may be melodramatic to say, but that ban was like a visible confirmation of my utter cutting-off from society.

It was a relief. It was as much relief as the amputation of a gangrenous limb.