the sound of seats scraping against the floor
rings against my eardrums as I sit
at my desk.
my eyes dart over to yours across the bland classroom,
the melody from your headphones jumping with joy.

your long hair, usually bound, now spills free–mesmerizing.
the soft strands yearning to be felt by my slender fingers.
I realize I stared for too long,
because now you were looking at me
with a look I couldn’t read.
now I wanted to look away.
but I don’t.
we’re locked.

we stood for the pledge, the other students masking our
view of each other.
I stare down at the peach-colored floor,
my bashfulness shrouding my mind.

during the moment of silence,
I picture me and you,
far across the land,
frolicking in a meadow,
the spider lilies tickling our legs,
our fingers laced together,
the silence we share is not uneasy.

but, in disappointment, I know
that this is just a dream I carry,
just a painting on the canvas of my mind.