"A love note to the boy with the red nail polish–the one on the bus,white-knuckle grip on the..."

“A love note to the boy with the red nail polish–

the one on the bus,

white-knuckle grip on the straps of his backpack:

grey hoodie and split lip.

To the boy with ink stains on the back of his left hand;

I get those, too, when I write too much.

For the heavy of your head and

the hurry of your heart, this

is every fractured “I love you”

that I had no right to–

how I imagined you on street corners,

saw you in strangers, while

you watched your feet like you thought

they were leaving without you.

I’ve felt that, too: a body on the edge

of revolution, dragging itself towards

something just past the horizon.

I know a heartache when I see one and,

oh, the aching that was you:

leftovers from the boys

who wouldn’t stop kicking.

I see you.

I see you.”

- THE BOY ON THE BUS by Ashe Vernon (15/30)