I am Fine

You say "you are so quiet today."
How do I respond to what you've said?
I cannot hear above the confusion in my mind.
How do I tell you of all the noise going on?
The anthills of worry? The hives of anxiety?
I search for the words so you will understand.
I move the anthills; I search under the hives.
My words are hidden here somewhere.
I find one word here and another over there.
I group them together with yet another,
only to discard them all
because they aren't making sense.
They aren't telling what is going on&;#8230;
I try my best but can't explain&;#8230;
Still you look at me and wait for a reply;
A reply I can't give you.
So instead I answer quietly,
"I am fine."

? Brenda Morrissey 2003