poem of the day 04.28.10

young love

high school boy
is running in circles
to make his girl laugh
he is strutting at the bus stop
taking out his awkward
aggression
on the new spring leaves
spitting and cursing
while she sits
and huddles herself
from the wind
high school boy is giving shit
to the people stuck
in traffic along stillwell avenue
his girl is cold
but she is loving this
laughing, rising, trying
to hold on to him
while he dances
the tough guy dance of adolescence
high school boy
is making rapid motions
with his arms
he’s mad at something
he doesn’t know what
in a few years he’ll have so many things
to be mad about
that it won’t even be worth it
to get angry
when she sneezes
he doesn’t even say
god bless you

i do

high school boy looks at me
with a fine hatred
before going off on his
next loud tangent

watching him
i think that most of the time
even now
i get kind of sad
that i was fat and alone
as a teenager
missing out on the comfort and love
of a confused young girl
playing tough for the ignorant
world at large
but then i witness
something like this
the drama and the theatrics
of teenagers just trying to get home
for dinner
and i’m thankful
that i saved myself
at least some level
of embarrassment
that i had some portion of pride
and dignity
in an otherwise
red-faced and begrudgingly humble
existence.