Empty Smiles And Hollow Laughs Poem by Chris Hatley

Empty smiles and hollow laughs
Adorn the faces around me.
‘How are you? ’
Asked merely out of habit
Dribbles from their mouths.
Like excrement from the throats of fools.
Words meaninglessly spewn,
Disguising apathy for interest.

No one is ignorant to their worthlessness.
No one is blind to their inanition.
Yet they are spoken still,
Asked merely out of habit.
Cold, hollow, empty words of concern.

They hide behind veils of benevolence,
Perpetuating charades of compassion.
Donating contempt through words of understanding.
Offering only vacuity for those seeking condolence.

Empty smiles and hollow laughs
Adorn the faces around me.
Words asked merely out of habit,
Disguising apathy for interest.