I Remember

I remember a blue sky,

And a fist twisting my belly

It feels like a lifetime ago

And I can’t tell if I’m overjoyed or depressed

that it was me

Let’s walk to that gas station

The one on the corner, with the cashier missing a pinky

We’ll grab some chips and bad coffee

You can talk my ear off about work

And I’ll half listen and wonder

what the exact shade of molten brown you’d call it

when the sinking sun enters your eyes

I’ll tell you the story if you want:

Girl meets girl

Girl makes girl fall in love

Girl kisses girl in the front seat, and steals moments meant for someone else

Let’s run away together instead, forget the gas station

I’ll bring the map, you grab the keys

We can pretend it’s a life worth running from

And you can call your mom in the morning when you realise I’m driving us off a cliff

I’m not a nihilist, you know

Some good luck, a spoken prayer,

A distant memory of skin and sweat and smiles

And a playbook written in the wrong language

Just stay with me

And I promise you I can be better