Help Them Dissimulate

*
Terry Pratchett wrote people use language
only to hide their feelings, the character of
Death never listened to them so as not to
be confused by their obfuscations

In the beginning I did not know this, I thought
words were meant to express what we felt, se-
verely reprimanded I learnt that words must
be used to placate people and reinforce

The rules they live by, to express approbation
for the way they present themselves, I used
to react to my own impressions, but people
did not like it, said I was wrong

I learnt to keep my thoughts and feelings
to myself as confidential information and
wait to be told what image people want
to promote in order to help them

To dissimulate, play charades as they require
reinforce their cherished role while I remain the
outsider because my instincts tell me something
else and I must hide it well otherwise

I lose the communication that
delight me so much…
*