PONDERING A REPLY

Copyright© 1990 by Dale E. Malone

     Poems & Sonnets 
 
Date : 18-Oct-90 15:30
From : Dale Malone
  To : April Whited
 
Subject : Peek-a-boo!
 
 AW> Hi Dale!  How ya been?

Pondering a Reply

April asked, “How ya been?”
How to answer, I din'na ken,
Should I reply, it all is good?
Or utter a truth, not just falsehood?

I think I'll mellow my ready reply,
Tell her I'm fine, look right in her eye.
But maybe she cares that I'm deep in despair,
Why would she ask, if she didn't care?

Shall I reveal I've lost the farm?
Will too much truth engender greater harm?
Perchance I'll slide right by the query,
Think she'll pickup, I'm skittish and leery?

My family has left me, time to divulge,
I eat when depressed, I'm starting to bulge,
Been laid-off work, should I impart?
No welfare check, heavy laden, I depart.

They took the house, two months ago,
Deep in dejection, I wallow in woe.
My beat-up Ford, they repossessed,
Dire straits I'm in, and so depressed.

But maybe her day is going well,
Keep it light and just mutter, “swell!”
I now abstain, perusing overdue bills,
Thoughts of suicide, shivers, and icy chills.

Should I dump on her with my melancholy?
Clutter up her psyche with my trite folly?
Looking at the minutia, alas and alack,
I'm too small an item, consider Iraq.

Weighing all things, I choose precisely,
Keeping it neighborly, treat her nicely,
Now April, you queried how I've been?
Things been worse, just can't recall when.


Back to My Darker Side: Pondering a Reply.

Written by Dale E. Malone, Not a simple answer, huh?
The Great & Wonderful Kahuna wants to know!

Last modified: April 26, 2009