Shallow

You see me every day, we pass in the halls

Collaborate on projects and sometimes, more.

You ask me questions but never hear the words,

You never stay long enough to care what they’re for.

You think you know me,

Like small talk means caring

But you’re unaware

Of all I’m bearing.

Behind my smile,

Behind one-word replies,

I’m holding back whole skies.

You think you know me

But your view is unclear,

I’m not a picture, flat and thin,

Not some echo you hear.

Every time I say, “I’m fine,”

To your kindness on repeat,

I retreat into the silence,

Of a world beneath my feet.

You think you know me,

But you can’t begin to fathom

The vastness I construct

While you skim the surface pattern.

I’m a galaxy unfolding

And you only see the star—

Just the flicker, from a distance,

Of who I really are.

You walk beside me, never stepping in

Measuring worth by mirrors thin

Waiting for cracks, waiting for decline

But your silence says more than mine

Shallow people in a shallow world,

Passing by with hollow hellos.

Never reaching the richness inside,

It’s their loss, but still—who knows?

These are the ones who measure and compare,

Who wait for cracks, then stare.

They smile, but behind your back,

They place their silent bets you’ll crack.