You jumped and cheered,
screamed and cried,
when you asked if I felt
the same, I said yes;
I lied.
You danced and sang,
gathered here, then there,
we high-fived, I smiled.
I was miserable.
You weren’t aware.
You laughed and hugged,
invited and accepted,
though in the end
we were both performing,
unknowingly, the part
we thought the other expected.
What an odd, lonely season,
what uncomfortable skin,
I could walk on the moon
or hike across Mars
and feel less “other”
than I did back then.
