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 Feb 2014 emptiness
Brandon
I saw you from across the room
Locking stares with your icy eyes
Dancing between the hookah smoke and piano notes
The black dress you wore hugged every inch of you perfectly
Showing off the glamour of your feminism

Silhouetted in the dimness of light
Your hips swayed to an invisible beat
Some jazz lament, some pop secret

You were all alone
Surrounded by all your friends
And everyone you've never known

I drank away at the scotch eating away at my insides
Building the courage to whisper a simple hello

The air smelled thick of cocktails and speakeasies,
Intense conversations of after-midnight intents

With a draft twirling thru the darker strands of your hair
You nursed some drink
I couldn't tell what it was
But I imagined tasting whiskey on your lips
And smelling innocence lost on your breath

There was feigned laughter and a cracked smile
A hint of teeth and a vicious tongue

You were the one
I'd been waiting my whole life on

I adjusted the noose around my neck
Thumbed my hands into my pockets
With nervous twitches
And made my way across the room
Drawn to you like Death to a tomb

I parted the haze of wafting smoke
Hooked by the gaze you worked the room with so well

I felt the chill in the air warm as I neared
And I watched you closely
Like a beast hunting its prey
I could see it in your eyes
You were doing the same

I asked you to dance as you finished the last sip of your drink
And sat the glass down on the table with ice cubes clinking seductively
You smiled, baring teeth I wanted to feel deep in my skin

I pulled you closer and smelled your perfume
The smell of intoxication and the crisp nighttime air on a full moon

We held each other tight
One hand on the small of your back
The other entwined in your grasp

With your head cradled to my chest
We danced slow even tho the song playing was loud, fast, and crazy

The room disappeared into an obsidian blackness as we danced
Holding each other close and tight,
Wearing our groove into the floor

You were the one
I've been waiting my whole life for

You were the one
I've been waiting my whole life for

You were the one
I've been waiting for



And then I watched you disappear
As the world came back into focus
And the lights snapped on, brighter than a thousand suns

And then I watched you disappear
As the music stopped
And all the drinks had been drunk, the intoxicated stumbling home

I watched you as you disappeared
Leaving me dancing
Alone
 Jan 2014 emptiness
Ian Cairns
I see you

I've seen those eyes before
Drowning in patched-up paddle boats
With promises of tomorrow slipping down your face
Like saline shipwrecks fleeing harbor
And greeting the ocean floor with damaged handshakes
And now you're hopeless
Focused on could have been's and maybe one day's
Knowing one day
Swelled up storm clouds
Could slide through your cheek bones
Like sunshowers preventing your skyline parades
But I see you still searching for rainbows
Covering your face with two handfuls of imagination
Daydreaming of days where technicolor dreamcoats
Become wrapped around your soul
Like tuxedos for the bold

I've seen those arms before
Deafeated willow branches in the moonlight
Rebellious to rise upright
And now you're tired
Only fired up when your flesh
Converts to kindling on a campfire
Building sparks that shimmer for seconds
When your light deserves a lifetime
But I see you still inclined to shine brightly
Trying to assign meaning to your life with two inspired limbs
That can freely build bridges or climb mountaintops
Clinging onto hope with sturdy fists
Exploring the peaks of your potential

I've seen those legs before
Tattered toothpicks on prom night
Frozen in stage fright on the dance floor
Pressing muted prayers with each footstep
Into creaky floorboards waiting for silence to ensue
And now you're nervous
You're certain those two left feet can't possibly find the rhythm
So your shoes are the victims of bashfulness
Fearing one false step will uproot your jitterbugs
And place them alongside the butterflies in your stomach
But I see you still owning your insecurities
Because you know you're alive just fine

I see you
You are who I envisioned you to be
I see you
Brushstrokes of imperfections shaded in perfectly
I see you
It's more than just your typical hello
It's a phrase for all of us to speak solely with our souls
It can make you feel at home at the center of your bones
When all your hope is lost and there's no where left to go
So when I greet you
Listen carefully
This is a reminder that your eyes can be thunderous
Your arms can be victorious
And your legs can be ambitious
Your presence is necessary for this discussion
And your essence is accepted here
Let me speak your spirit into existence
Seeing is believing
And believe me
I see you
A man once came up to me
He grabbed me by the arms
And he shook me,
shouting,

"LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL! CAN'T YOU SEE IT?
You are part of something so wonderful!
You are a gift and you were given a gift.
And don't you ever, ever forget it."

As I looked at him in astonishment,
He simply smiled and off he went.

— The End —