That carefully curated
Version of your life
You tell acquaintances
Who turn into friends
Just your collected stories
Leaving out who you are
No one notices your trick
You have succeeded
No one can hurt you
Still you long for more
Someone who knows your secrets
Someone who sees through it all
Someone who can remind you
Who you really are
A human just being
But you have forgotten
How to be authentic
How to be vulnerable
How to be present
Sitting across from
Some good genuine someone
Instead of just collecting
Details for your next story
Poems of Pandemic Days by Alice Curley 