A Prolonged Conversation with Myself

I wrote this poem during my sophomore year about a falling out with a friend. I revisited it to edit and put into a poetry contest. I found the poem held more meaning to me the second time around.

Nestled between the stiff “hellos”
and relieved “goodbyes”
hides the ghost of once substantial conversation:

So many things I long to say,
instead I substitute truth with
expected replies

Words threaten to spill out,
I fight back,
they behave, as they should.

I say enough to convince
you and I that we know each other,
and hold back enough to say that we don’t.

I start to wonder what is real about us
and what is façade,
what masks we are hiding behind.

I feel my smile
and I hear myself respond,
“I am well.”

Reviews

[Chloe_Spence]

Lovely poem- I relate to this... not wanting to reveal the truth so we hide behind a mask that holds us together... well, that's at least what I relate to with this poem haha :)

Well written :)