I am many people,
a mask for every situation.
The real me is lazy and lets that happen,
watches from somewhere
and doesn't get involved.
You think I am listening to you.
My masks are skilled at attentive expressions,
but I'm somewhere else.
Writing the next line of a poem.
Visualizing the process
of getting ready to and going fishing tomorrow.
Thinking through a long, detailed argument
to disprove an opinion full of errors
I thought up myself.
Figuring out how to fix something
that isn't broken yet.
When I say I will change
and work harder to pay attention,
that might not be me talking.