Parallel Universe

Brave, bold, stark, strange new world.
Without an orientation day,
I was thrust into a parallel universe
Which I'd barely acknowledged before.
Thrown through the door that has now
Melted back into the walls,
I stare through frosted glass
At the other world—
The one I lived in.
Once, I was a stranger to this place.
Some language lessons might have been useful.
Now, I struggle to speak and advocate
And translate for my friends outside.
There are others here, but
We rarely meet—
Keeping our heads down
And our feelings contained,
Apart from the odd sympathetic nod.
I feel so bad for them
While trying to minimise my own reality.
I'm a different person here
And long for my other life.
I know that in weeks or months,
I'll somehow escape,
But nothing will be the same.
I'm expected to master this;
To learn the terminology and
Act stronger than I feel.
I'm bluffing it, but don't want to stay
Long enough to become an expert;
Toughness eroding away feelings.
People do try to call me
But it's so hard to talk to them
When I am in here
And they are out there.