the others by james schleisman

Surrounded, I feel suffocated
This murky bar, club, whatever you want to call it
People are packed in tight like canned mandarin oranges
But none of them will ever be as sweet

I see them all, and they stare back one by one
The hunger in their eyes
Thirsting to quench their loneliness
If only for a night

The music plays on

I don’t know how to be hungry
You see to that
You make me feel assembled
You make me feel full

I think about going home
Because crowded spaces make me nervous
And I don’t people well
Hello my name is Awkward

The music plays on

I don’t know how to be confident
But you open me up
You show me how to grow
You show me how to thrive

I think about drinking more
Because liquid courage is supposed to help, right?
My anxiety is noxious
Greetings from planet Getting Drunk

The music plays on

I check my phone once, twice, thrice
Maybe you got caught in traffic?
A pack of bros bump into me and I spill my drink
The big one shoves me

“Watch where you’re going Fag.”
My throat knots and I wince at the last word
My shirt is soaked and stained
My eyes lower and I turn to leave

The music changes

Suddenly big, hairy arms wrap around my wet torso
“Hey beautiful, where’s the fire?”
Your beard tickles my nose as you kiss me
A tear rolls down my cheek
I lean in and kiss you back

I stare into your eyes as you backpedal us onto the dance floor
I don’t know how to dance
You know all too well
You try to sway with me romantically
But I stumble and we laugh at my two left feet

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James is a die-hard nerd; he loves anime, video games, electronic music, and really cheesy 80's horror films. He lives his dreams of finding romance vicariously through his writing. He loves nothing more than spending a lazy Saturday afternoon playing with his two dogs, Dakota the German Shepherd and Diesel the Husky. If this universe existed in the world of Harry Potter, his patronus would be a bear cub.