Something Behind the Small Talk
by Michael Doyle

There is something raw behind the front lines
There, we hide behind the showoffs and mimes
Lost in the awkwardness that blocks our conversations
We stand aloof, hiding our secret sense of fascination

We wish we could shape away the sense of harshness
That comes out in  broken blocks of too much darkness
We stand feeling dead in the lives that we lead
Wondering about the body language that we once read

Running in place, we feel puzzled over what's real
Penciling in notes based on what the next expert feels
Pushing hard in silent desperation as we quietly balk
Wondering why it's so hard to make our way in small talk

Praying to gods and idols that we no longer believe in
Stumbling along in fractured hopes again and yet again
We always feel we have said the wrong things in revulsion
Though the words streamed out as if through their compulsion

Ted Talks provide their own theater of broken paradise
Where so-called experts offer up a salad of lousy advice
There is a lot of social isolation in this lonely worldview
And you and I are always wondering what it is we might do

Running in place, we feel puzzled over what's real
Penciling in notes based on what the next expert feels
Pushing hard in silent desperation as we quietly balk
Wondering why it's so hard to make our way in small talk

We wish we were comfortable in the chilled vibe of silence
Instead, we are afraid of our next words and their violence
Hoping they won't cut away our tenuous ties or poke out eyes
These are the time thieves that squawk as closeness dies

Hiding in corners at the next event that passes for a party
Knowing inside that there is no one who really truly knows me
And thinking maybe that's alright as long as they don't hate me
Is this what has come to pass for 21st-century society?

(c) February 12, 2025   Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved