(m1)
mr. diary’s got some work to do,
i’ve seen him busy like this before too.
mr. diary exhausts his social battery soon —
he leaves the party right before it hits the tune.

(m2)
this makes me think he’s an introvert,
but i could be wrong — it could be a flirt
with silence and distance and staying small,
with pretending he doesn’t need them at all.

(m3)
i really need to see through mr. diary’s lies,
the harmless ones dressed up as truths in disguise,
like the time he said 3 and 2 equalled 5 —
i think he was just trying to stay alive.
(m1)
he bends the numbers gently out of shape,
just enough for bad days to escape,
just enough to sleep at night,
just enough to make things “quite alright.”

(m2)
mr. diary would like to have a word,
but most of his sentences go unheard,
some expire waiting at the door,
some pace circles on the kitchen floor,
some disguise themselves as jokes
so nobody noticed it when his voice broke.

(m1)
he’s not eaten much these past three days,
just lemonade sips and a careful gaze,
he didn’t want anyone asking why
his laughter was late and his smile was shy.
mr. diary treats concern like fire —
holds it too long, then calls it satire.

(beg/m3)
dear people, i wonder why
y’all would like to see mr. diary cry,
he’s just a person passing by,
trying to keep his corners dry.

dear people, i wonder when
you learned to laugh at breaking men,
he laughs along, he always can —
that’s part of mr. diary’s plan.
(end)

(m1)
mr. diary is a different kind,
with a careful mouth and a crowded mind,
may he always have that endless supply
of borrowed jokes and a standby smile.

(m2)
he edits thoughts in real time
and occasionally says he's doing fine.
"put the file on the table! it's not a big deal.
i'll be there in five minutes. ha ha. another fucking ordeal."

(m4)
i remember once he tried to speak,
cut into a thought that was growing weak,
but the room just laughed — it wasn’t kind,
and something quiet fell behind.
and he too laughed but a second late,
which now is how he participates.
he didn’t show it then — he never would,
but i saw it break where he once stood,
just for a second, just long enough
to know that pretending can get this tough.

(beg/m3)
dear people, i wonder why
y’all would like to see mr. diary cry,
he’s just a person trying hard
to make his all ends meet somehow.

dear people, i wonder still
who taught you laughter without the will
to hold it back when someone bends —
when someone almost, almost ends.
(ends)