Shuffling through the gray
Blind to each delicate breath
These intricacies hold no sway
Cheerfully uttered throughout the day
The meaningless pleasantries
Each effort you weigh
The cost of transparency
With each sigh, a bray
You wake and remember what’s lost
Momentarily defray
Smothered in civility
Fashioning smiles of clay
Blinking back signs of life
You purpose to allay
The squall of consciousness
Then take a breath and fly away—Christina Knowles (2014)
Disturbing the Universe 