The Fish Tank Phenomenon

It seems a most peculiar thing!
We are like fish
Swimming in a tank
Filled with a multitude
Of other fish,
All swimming
Elbow to elbow.
It’s so crowded,
We can hardly turn around
Without bumping
Into each other,
Yet we are plagued
By an irrational sense
Of being alone.
In the midst of
Overwhelming abundance,
We live from
Absolute scarcity.
Our feelings have
Little to do with reality.
The barriers between us
Are all inside our heads.
While we swim
Bumper to bumper,
We search for the one fish
Meant just for us,
Oblivious to the school of life
All around us,
With many a fishy story
About the one that got away
And the one that did us wrong.
We are such fascinating creatures
Locked in our isolation together!