Practiced Denial
by Michael Doyle

We laugh, we smile
We practice our denial
Trying hard to hide
Feelings we can't confide

There are words unspoken
Like sharp sticks poking
Leaving wounds that will scar
It all went a bit too far

Painted like a clown
It always got me down
Like a three-ring big top
That didn't know how to stop

Problematic monkeys found
Circuses to chase around
There was no way to find a cure
And no way our love could endure

We laughed, we smiled 
We practiced and defiled
Those things of sacrament
The doomsayers were prescient

(c) February 2, 2024   Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved