Empty

I have to say 

I can’t really blame you 

For not being aware 

It isn’t as if I’m wearing a sign 

Well, not a blatant one anyway 

Quite the opposite, in fact 

I have taken great pains 

To present an opposite facade 

To wear the proper mask 

But there is a saying 

Relating to books

And covers 

And judging 

Sometimes I feel as if 

Events have opened my life 

And scooped out my feelings 

Not to make room for anything else 

Just to create this empty space 

A place for loneliness to live 

In there with all my nothing 

Rambling and echoing 

Emphasizing the hollowness 

There are prompts in my head 

Gathering proper social cues 

Knowing when to laugh 

Knowing when to cry 

Eliciting the right response 

To prevent the inevitable question 

“Are you okay?”

Which, of course, brings the reply

“I’m fine” 

But there is a saying 

Relating to books

And covers 

And judging 

Now, about this book 

And it’s pretty cover 

Colorful and vibrant 

And said judging thereof 

I fear I have misled 

For the insides are empty 

Leaving nothing to judge 

No content to examine 

Scooped out 

Empty

© Ron Simpson Jr. 

August 20, 2022