“Fine” is applied easily like lip gloss -
a familiar move in this stock display.
Done without any thought of moral loss,
part of hello that's completely cliché.

Like cosmetics, it smooths assorted nicks,
stifling our wayward imperfections.
Approval, a judge offering just kicks -
a side mirror enlarging corrections.

Small talk an acceptable distraction
from the discipline covering my eyes.
Wit provokes the truth, if just a fraction.
To feel someone's sanctioned smile as reprise!

Grasping a reset option, I now feel
fit to give answers that do not conceal.