my writing

The Invisible Rulebook A Poem by Eric Pollok A simple “Hi,” a casual query, A gesture meant to welcome, light and cheery. But in that flash, a world unseen takes hold, A social quiz, a story to unfold. No script prepared, no answers in my hand, A pop quiz sprung, across this foreign land. They smile, they beam, they wait for warm reply, While inner chaos fills my anxious eye. Not anti-social, not a heart of stone, Just seeking calm, a space to call my own. This rulebook vast, by others memorized, A foreign tongue, by me still not surmised. “How’s your day?” a question, light and brief, For me, a mountain, steeped in social grief. A mental Rubik’s Cube, blindfolded spun, To guess the answer, ‘til the day is done. What do they want? A joke? A thought profound? I search for clues, on unfamiliar ground. One wrong move, and I’m the awkward one, Who mumbles weather, then is quickly gone. A silent film, where every subtle glance, A coded message, in this social dance. They me...