Poem by Halle Preneta — 6/28/23
ready to collapse onto the floor below.
No one is around to hear it.
No one hears me fall.
Sees how my eyes glitter up at you when you smile
or look in my overall general direction.
No one notices how much I talk and talk and talk about you.
(Okay maybe people hear that one, actually.)
No one can feel the waves crashing against my thumping heart
that bleeds out of my chest every time I think about you
or breathe in your overall presence!
And I know I am only 20
and you are probably thinking
“Ah, young love! How stupid we once were!” right now.
But in this world full of darkness and hatred.
This world slowly transforming into the greyness that lives inside my brain;
Into dark molasses that drips cold onto my skin
This world that makes my skin crawl, my veins tighten every time I see the news or graveyards or guns or shouting people.
The one thing I have is my love for you.
My hidden love I keep locked away inside my heart
because it’s so full, I don’t know what to do with all of it!
My love for you is that moment when the music swells at an orchestra performance.
It is that moment where the waves overtake your entire body,
pushing you into the water below.
It is that moment where you’re belting out your favorite song to no one
and you don’t care who hears you.
It is that moment, that second, where everything feels like it’s going to be okay again.
Safe again.
Wrapped up in a warm blanket,
ready to fall for you all over again
tomorrow.
