I plod through each day.

Painstakingly, I smile.

The facade has become my mask,

What I choose to let you see...

Because that is what is easy.

The explanation is not.

The explanation is complicated.

The explanation is messy.

The explanation is uncomfortable.

“I’m fine” is easy.

“I’m fine” is a lie.

I will lie to save myself, and you, from:

The uncomfortable,

The complicated,

The messy,

The truth.

The truth is painful.

So, I will smile and tell you, “I’m fine.”

And we’ll just pretend that I am.

Published on October 1st, 2022