2:41 AM
We sat in a sun-stained booth
nibbling at lo mein noodles, and I
swallowed whatever ridiculous thoughts I could’ve spewed
to cure the disease that is vibrating silence –
like the story behind
the invention of doughnuts;
for some reason, that struck me
as something so significant that I felt
I had to tell you, had to bring it up,
but I never got the chance.
Squirming in the passenger seat,
I adjusted my position, crossing my legs and
staring at the sky for dear life;
my skinny fingers gripped the seat tightly,
imagining the windshield disintegrating
to mingle with that bleak, lonely-heart hue –
give a kiss and reassure
that you were being honest.
French manicures, eye paint,
and luxuriating in small talk over
chocolate delights
led into the moment when I noticed
my stomach pressing against my ribs
and I breathed ever harder,
staring out the blurred window –
it was so hard to concentrate
on distant train whistles and clutching my peace of mind
when I felt as though I could burst
into every piece I didn’t want you to see.
Driving home in the gray,
we were even less open than before;
your sleepless eyes focused ahead,
a tilted-head songbird
dispersing notes, stabbing the quiet
with self-isolating precision.
Clasped Tightly
the moon swam in
sticky shadows, tar ghosts
shivering against our backs,
and I tapped my fingers in
river rhythms to remind
your pulse of its
purpose.
High School
The tiles of the floor encase me
in scuffed beiges and pencil
smudges; pity there aren’t
cheat sheets for life tucked
in-between the cracks. All that
I can see are quadratic equations
and love notes in looping cursive,
telling me that this place is
no longer where I want to be.
April 2, 2009
We sat in the dark,
munching on popcorn on napkins
(with more kernels than not),
dark soda fizzing in
red plastic cups,
and Charlie Chaplin
blown out of an Alaskan cabin
on the television.
Moved!