11/3/2021

Tucked tightly behind your smile, I feel sadness

Telling me you’re fine, I sense a lie

But I don’t know you, nor you me

My empathy, my concerns, do not outweigh

Our unfamiliarity, I fear

And I am uncertain, deeply self-aware

That trying to bridge this invisible gap

              Not even knowing your name!

Only serves to make me seem like a troll,

Instead of bridge builder

Seeking confirmation that I’m astute,

Instead of compassionate

Compulsive,

Instead of concerned

We both exist in anxious, polite silence

Waiting for the other to leave

To unwind,

Allowed to feel sad, in the safety of solitude.