If you ask me how I’m doing;
If you wonder how I’m feeling;
I will lie to you.
I’ll tell you I’m fine.
Things are going OK.

I might hint at the truth of the matter.
I might stumble through my words.
I might give you a half-truth.
I might give you a non-answer.
But I’ll probably never tell you the truth.

I’m not fine.
Things are not OK.
I’m drowning in fear and worry.

You probably ask because you care.
But I am not capable of believing it.
Because I don’t care. So how could you?

We are all conditioned to hear these questions as small talk.
We are all conditioned to respond in kind.

“Hey, what’s up?”
“Fine, you?”
“Yeah, nothing much.”
…

Unprompted.
Author is Sean Prunka
This poem is copyright 2015 Sean Prunka.

Author Notes: raw, rough, minimal postproduction work, if any.