Lake

the kids they’re undressing long past the last light
they’re threading through tank tops and taking off tights
just to flirt with the feelings that aren’t worth the fight
as they toss themselves into the noise
the kids they’re all yelling and screaming i’m told
the pure incredulity of growing old
so for now they employ recreational cold
to fend off their futures and fate
at least til they graduate
so go jump the lake if you want to
go love every living thing there
but you won’t find me there
the kids they’re all sipping each other like wine
they found in the basement next to turpentine
on the paint-splattered toolshelf of thin metal sheets
upturn those young drinks and repeat
and the kids they’re all loving each other so well
but the clear eyes on campus say we’re going to hell
so our promised damnation should make this feel better
but our hearts burst right through our sweaters
and the kids they’re all stretching their bodies and minds
and waking up strangers in twin beds entwined
with their past selves’ potentials and awkward first tries
all stitched together with lies that they find
on the parchment of campus, on block west of high
where we show off ourselves and shrug off the uptight
and the well dressed composers of crumpled-up lines
we highlight, cross out, and tattoo
so go make that leap if you need to
and show bashful wants when it’s right
but mine, i’ll wad up and i’ll bounce them against
the wall that we share every night
and the kids they call learners sit sleepless tonight
plain terrified of the thoughts that they hide
from their fine, young acquaintances cheering outside
in the night, in the night, always in the night
they say how can we know we know all that we know
cause with each passing day i grow and i grow
more and more lost i’m told, til i’m told til i’m told
i’m repeating myself again
so whether or not a storm is in store
more sure than the soot in the water i pour
in the depths of my pottery bitterness absorbs
and it blackens the collar of the sink
he says why do i hide if i want to be seen
just hoping for extroverts peeking through screens
to knock on my window or the chipping front door
and prop me up on the wall
and say we haven’t met before
but your face makes me want to know more
and i’m sure that you feel the same thing when i say
i grow more unsure by the day
and your home is so poorly maintained
and no i don’t wanna be this vain
and i know you’re not seeking out praise, but
you have such a comforting face

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