The word of the day:
“froideur.” On loan
from French, it describes

“a coolness or distance
between people.” As in
how we develop rote answers to

“how’s the family, friend?”
No one actually cares,
do they?

As in, “what’s up
for the weekend?
Got any plans?” comes to sound

like reconnaissance for assault.
You don’t respond with the truth,
which is, “I’m going to spend it either

coiled and nasty, or curled and
weepy, either way don’t come by
if you don’t want a share of the pain.”

You think I’m sick for saying this.
I think you are right.
I don’t care what you think.

I think I’m not alone.
Others don’t care what I think,
or that I’m even here.

Calling it froideur
offers hope that it is not
who we truly are.

We don’t have a word for it. 
We had to go take one
from elsewhere to speak of it.

Using one word to explain it
leaves so much more time
for silence.