Today I said “I’m fine”, not once
But five times altogether
When people asked “how are you?”
Then made small talk of the weather
And so I hid behind my mask
The one I’d worn a while
I set in place my bravest face
And dressed it with a smile
And that was how the day went
All “I’m fine” and talk of rain
Until somebody asked me how I was
Then asked again
They asked if I was truly fine
And I said I was not
And they said they were sorry
That they couldn’t do a lot
But then they sat beside me
Whilst I spoke the truth at last
They listened and they held me
As the tears slipped through my mask
And where before, I’d felt I should
Maintain this brave façade,
I realised there was much to gain
By letting down my guard
See, though my load was still the same
It now was not as heavy
‘Cause sitting and offloading it
Had helped a bit already
Today they asked “how are you?”
And I told them I was fine
‘Til someone saw behind the mask
And asked me one more time
And though they may have felt
That there was little they could do
They’ll never know how much it meant
To tell someone the truth
*******
Becky Hemsley 2022
Lovely artwork by Illustrations by Majali
“I’m fine” is from my second collection:
GreatCosmicMothersUnite 