"What have you been up to?"

Without a thought, i use the word “lately”
as though introducing a brand-new, better version
of myself — happier, less broken

i use the word “lately”
to insinuate that this development is NEW!
RELEVANT! SIGNIFICANT! NOT AT ALL TEMPORARY!

i use the word “lately”
to pretend that i’ve changed
that i’ve grown out of my default state
of blue

should i tell the truth?

i haven’t changed
i haven’t grown
i just keep breathing

i hope that’s good enough for you.