Free Verse

Lies of apathy

April 27, 2026CC BY-SA

How did you sleep? Good (I had a nightmare, but I think I'm too old to cry about it) How was your day? Fine (I want to tell you but I can't) How are you? Good (broken) Are you ok? Yep (I'm not but I can't have you see) Do you need help? No (please) Do you want something? No (a hug) Why are you crying? It is nothing (it's too much) Good night! You too (don't go) Are you ok? Yes (I don't know anymore) I’m fine (I'm dying inside)

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Highly personal, autobiographical exploration of internal emotional struggle and masked vulnerability.

Dense compression: repeated Q&A structure delivers multiple contradictory ideas per exchange rapidly.

Strongly negative: despair, isolation, emotional pain masked by false cheerfulness throughout.

High kinetic intensity via parenthetical ruptures breaking surface calm; staccato rhythm creates tension.

23 lines falls within 16-30 range; substantial but compact meditation on emotional disconnection.

Rich metaphorical framework: 'dying inside,' emotional weight implicit; parentheses function as structural metaphor for suppression.

Pure lyric internal voice; confessional monologue revealing unfiltered emotional truth beneath social dialogue.

Lies of apathy

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