Friday, July 13, 2012

Small Talk


We sit, one couch cushion apart;
details of our lives
lay in heaps at our feet.

Two days’ time is not enough
to rub through  the polite veneer
on our conversation.

We are witty,
but our laughter sounds thin:
ice cubes clinking in a cocktail glass.

We stay on the periphery
civilized, trivial.


This is for the sorely missed G-man and his FF55 where folks offer 55 words of their choice.  Check it out!

36 comments:

  1. Sounds kinda icky mary...

    Wander

    Just got the chance to read one of your published poems...it was good:-)

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    1. Hi Chris. It was kinda...um, disappointing. And thanks!

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  2. Good capture when small talk takes place...we talk about things on the surface and never get to explore the deep....I like to go deep :)

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    1. Thanks Ayala. I do too, but this time we just couldn't quite connect.

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  3. What interesting laughter that came due
    I might make fun of you haha

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  4. You really catch that awkward feeling I often have in social situations, Mary. And there's a lot of nuance and mystery also, which I always love, especially in a 55.

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    1. Thanks Joy. I was about to explain the situation but maybe I shouldn't. :o)

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  5. Mary Bach...
    Sounds like some parents and children.
    Most excellent story!!
    Trust me, I missed everyone just as much.
    Loved your 55
    Thanks for playing, thanks for your support, and have a Kick Ass Week-End

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  6. it is a whole lot easier to get along when you stay on the surface....that is small talk surely...smiles...

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    1. Just went through one of those situations Brian. Cheers!

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  7. This one rings true, as if coming from personal experience. An uncomfortable situation to be sure, but it surely could have been worse if the civility wasn't there at all. Strong 55, Mary.

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  8. The trouble is . . the deeper conversations could be too, um, pugilistic(?) to risk embarking on. Well written.

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    1. Thank you Doctor. Greater risk- greater reward is the other side of that coin perhaps.

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  9. Damn those strained pleasantries. I like getting to the secret bottom line fairly soon. ~Mary

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  10. Blame it all on Mercury going retrograde - it reads like a perfect example...

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  11. "laughter sounds thin".... UGH! Nice write on a situation we all dread.

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  12. "We stay on the periphery
    civilized, trivial."

    It's tough when "closeness" takes a turn. Sometimes temporary, and sometimes people just grow apart. I like how you captured this, Mary.

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  13. Great 55. Love the details.

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  14. This is great. You've captured the disintegration of a relationship perfectly.

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  15. I love the sound of clinking ice. The cushion-apart small talk invades our conversations. It reminds me of a visit with a far away sibling or long lost friend. It takes time to cut to the core of things and there is never enough of that. Nice 55.

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    1. That's exactly what it was Yvonne. Glad to hear it resonated with you.

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  16. Perfectly pitched poem, thanks, Mosk

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  17. Mary I came back to read this again, and this is a very good poem, very good!

    I would like to interview you on my blog, what do you say? If that is something you are willing to do shoot me an email.

    Wander

    ziggy101877@gmail.com

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  18. Thanks Chris! I'd like that. :o)

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