Five years from now
You'll look back
And ask yourself
"What's the name of
The girl who sat
One row behind me to the right"
But I'll remember your name

Ten years from now
You'll look back and ask
Who was the girl
With a freckle on her chin
But you still can't
Picture her quite right
Yet I will never forget your face

Fifteen years from now
You'll find your old yearbook
Flipping through the pages
Until you land on the girl
With the freckle on her chin
Who sat one row behind you on the right
And you'll remember who I am

You will remember that you both
Were once the best of friends
And you'll realize
You forgot her
Just like she thought you would
And you'll remember the pact
We made to never forget each other

Now we're here fifteen years later
You're standing there, phone in hand
With the girl's number in the other
She picks up the phone with a sad
"Who is this?", you tell her
There's a gasp on the other end
You don't know how much my face lit up

Let's go fifteen years and a few days later
You meet up at a coffee shop
But you don't sit down to chat
You take your orders and go on a walk
The first thing she says "I thought you forgot me"
You have to tell her you did
Those words shattered my heart

Now fifteen years later
You have a family, a wife you love
While that girl, she's alone
She has friends but never found love
Because of you
The girl had a dream
It was to marry you

So now you know, that girl
She never forgot you,
Not once
You invaded her mind
Every other night
Hoping you would come find me
Just like you promised

But you forgot,
While I will never forget you.





A.B.

Ask me “what’s wrong?”
I’ll always say “tired”
Don’t be fooled
you know the truth
Know me too well
If I were truly sleepy
I would be very loopy
Don’t be fooled
you know the truth

Saddest girl with a smile
on her face never fades
dances with the wind
cries with the rain
she wants no one to see her pain
heartbreaking words said with a smile
she’s been holding it in for a while

Silliest girl without a care
says goofy things
seems so unaware
much more introspective,
reserved than you’d think

Gives hugs freely
friends embrace
but she won’t give
him a chance to kiss her face

Scared someone will
look her in the eye
and know the things
that make her cry
Can barely talk
to her closest friends
secretly likes it
when they pry

Longs for the days of ole
never tell a soul
Pretty, isn’t she?
silently, *“please don’t see me”.

My momma, she taught me to be a lady
never treat a lady sister shady
to walk with my head held high
respect is to look me in the eye
to always be polite
it doesn't matter who is right
say please and thank you
give credit where it is due
and you
who taught you to be a man?
who are you trying to be better than
who taught you to talk down to me
like I’m some kind of discount deli meat
cause I walk down the street
strangers whisper “hey ****”
then they flex for me
“I’m just looking to get more ***** in my life"
keys between my fingers cause I can't carry a knife
“****, where you going tonight?”
this **** well ain’t right.
Cars beep and slow down as I walk alone
asking if they can pick me up and take me home
it’s not a compliment, more of a threat
heightened consciousness makes me sweat
feel unprotected, cheap
another car horn beep
you gents just don’t see it
the wrongs those guys commit
the slimy unyielding stare
cause when it happens you’re not there.

I was not born into a broken family.
My father did not drink excessively
and my mother had kind words to say.
I did not learn to yell from hearing them yell,
and I never saw him lay a finger on her.

Instead,
I sat in trees turned church pews
with a passive being just out of reach.
Desire to be not me,
fiending a response
from a man mother and father spoke so highly of.

Instead,
I sat in blue bathroom stalls
with stained tiles and permanent explicits for company.
Passing lunch period for it was something to pass,
eating because although you stole my tongue and taste-
you left my stomach to waste.

Instead,
I sat beneath holy hands reaching-
that painting on sunflower walls haunting.
Each thought,
sin,
mistake
would be admitted to guilty air.