Broken Promises

I promised my friend I would be

…Normal

I shutter at the thought but say I can do it

I will be

…normal

I try to convince myself but the word gets stuck in my throat

…normal 

the word sounds strange

burning my tongue like acid

but this is what friends do

we act

…normal?

No that doesn’t sound right

…Normal

Hmm...

I think of a time that I was or may have been

…normal

only one exists,

but we do not speak of that day

because I frightened my friend so much she said she was having an aneurism.

I am not

… normal

I am

… sorry

but I am not

… normal

no wait I lied,

hold please

the telephone rings

“normality speaking” I answer with a smile

“oh I am terribly sorry”

no wait that was a lie too…

oops…

I hang up the phone because I am a “b….”

But I am certainly not

Normal.