Society's Subscriptions

 

The unbroken man says, “Emotions are easy to tell.”

To which, the shattered girl replies, “You just buy what they sell.”

 

Says the man, “Happiness is easily shown with a smile.”

The girl persists, “What about one that’s faked in a trial?”

 

Still sure of himself, he says, “Tears reveal a person feeling sad.”

The girl scoffs, “Or extreme joy. Sometimes even a person who’s mad.”

 

“A mad person would not,” he says, “They’d clench their fists and wear a scowl.”

Frustrated she yells, “Not all who feel anger behave extremely foul!”

 

The man keeps on, “Tired people hold a grumpy attitude.”

She sighs, undefeated. “Not all senses of the word tired are in the same latitude.”

 

“Who are you to know such emotions?” he asks.

Laughing, she answers, “That girl that has hidden behind those masks.”

 

The man looks confused. “But those were merely emotions descriptions.”

She is triumphant. “No, those are stereotypes to which society has subscriptions.”

 

The unbroken man, brought to silence, stands there in thought.

The shattered girl just walks away, proud of what she has taught.

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