[alternatively titled;
in which rose sounds like a stalker]
the boy next to me toes off his shoes, he's wearing white socks underneath, and i watch in fascination, my mother notices my distraction, and nudges my arm so i turn back towards the stage, where two old white men are talking about food; radishes and carrots and turnips? i pretend to pay attention for a minute, but ultimately, my gaze returns to the boy, i glance at him sideways, and he looks up at the motion, his eyes are sparkling blue, staring straight at the performance, his mouth is curved, muttering the words to the play under his breath, his nose is crooked, as if it's been broken multiple times, and his hair is dark and curled to the middle of his ears, and there i stay for another hour, staring at his perfection, the play going on insignificant behind me, my fixation with him starting to get ridiculous, and when the play ends, the lights dim, and the audience applauds, as do i, as does he,and he goes to stand up, turns to me, as if to say something, and i wish he would, but instead he smiles and turns away, the girl next to me on the bus has a million piercings, her hair is up in a high pony tail, her nails are long and glittery, and yet she looks so very unhappy, her lips curve downwards as she looks down at her phone, she scrolls, and lets out a bitter laugh at something on the screen, her lip piercing moving slightly as she pokes it with her tongue, there's another girl sitting across from her, slim and tall, her brown hair cut short around her ears, she nudges the girl next to me with her converse covered feet. 'gracie.' she calls, when the girl doesn't look up immediately, her head darts up at her name, an eyebrow and eyebrow piercing raised, 'yeah?' 'i love you.' she smiles brilliantly, surprised, 'i love you too.' i'm wandering through a train station, there's a man staring up at one of the arrivals boards, waiting for a loved one, no doubt, his jawline is cut glass, his eyes are emerald green, the tip of his nose curves up slightly, it's cute and yet beautiful, he's the kind of stranger you see, and you want to jump their bones, because who cares, you're never going to see them again, there's a man hobbling along with his foot in a brace, there's a woman in all black, boots up to her thighs, there's a little girl skipping along, balloons in hands, there's a middle aged woman in a suit, cello case on her back, and i step in a café, greeted by a tall man, tan skin, dark hair and tattoos snaking around his wrist, another woman taking me to a table, hips swaying, there's a man in a lift, telling a joke about a dog, two men and a hat, a woman alongside him, a fedora tipped on her head, there's a beautiful woman cleaning the hotel room, her brown hair piled up on top of her head, i greet her, she awkwardly, with an accent, says 'hello', and it's clear she doesn't speak english well, there's a man busking on the street, clear green eyes and dark hair, his voice deep and powerful as he belts out tosca, i run and put my change in the hat resting in front of him, he smiles at me, pleased, and mid note, reaches out to shake my hand, i take it and laugh slightly at the absurdity of the situation, he chuckles, his laugh deep and rumbling, there's a girl at school who smiles brightly at me and tells me she loves what i'm wearing, my best friend lays on her bed and the light falls just so her hair is golden and her eyes shine, there's a boy both me and my friend admire- he has short curly hair and a long neck and an endless supply of cigarettes, there's a blonde girl who i don't talk to as much as i wish i did because she's dating the boy who i sit next to in science and every time he talks about her i can tell how much he loves her, and she must be amazing to have someone love her as much as he does, there's a boy who sits near me in some classes and sometimes i think i like him because his eyes are bright and he can figure out mathematical equations at the speed of lightning, there's a girl I see everyday and she learned sign language over the summer, and now every time i see her she's talking to her friends, her hands moving at the speed of light and her face creased with a smile or a laugh, there's a girl behind me who's talking about racist issues and she is so full of passion and light, there's a couple who stop outside of a café with free food in front of it, and he crouches down to look at a loaf of bread, she, like it is second nature, strokes an hand through his hair, and he stands back and they leave, the bread in his hand, and i am struck with how beautiful everyone is.
