Small Talk

There's a heaviness
that comes over 
leaking in from somewhere,
a certain mood  
that paralyzes the throat.
It causes you to withdraw 
and pull back 
from where you can look out
and not feel what happens,
as if the nerves connecting
you to life are like those
to a tooth numbed
by novacaine.

When it wears off you find
yourself looking for a way back,
feeling around the dark for an exit
out of your own skin, riding
on the back of a word or two
as they escape your mouth 
headed for the nearest conversation
where you can hide 
in the small talk and nobody 
will ever know you're there.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2023

Poem

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January 25, 2023 at 7:41 AM
Deep
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