recording available: smalltalk.mp3 read on for the words.
how’s the weather?
how’s the family?
hope the job isn’t too frantic.
phrases like pebbles
skimming the surface
carefully flicked
so as not to create waves
sing-song, chant, mantra
patterns that veil
talisman against closeness
mustn’t ignore gravity
distance keeps galaxies safe
from colliding, from exploding
safe from pesky rips
leading to universes where
alternate lives may be seen
lip bitten, words unsaid
speak instead of futures
of births and anniversaries
smile for happy moments
oceans away
sunshine on far shores
that warm those loved
small talk, short words
that say nothing
but outline the shape
of the unsaid
trembling for syllables
in silence
mouthing root words
shaped by feeling
sotto vox
beneath a whisper
a body can vibrate
without ever making a sound
simple, social words
the rest, they rest
restlessly unspoken