Maybe

Maybe you are here. Standing beside your best friend, cheering them on. You smile at them and take their hand, leading them away from all the problems in the world. You dance around and around, laughing together for hours on end. At the end of the night, you won’t want to say goodbye and return to the realities of the world.

Or maybe you’re not. Maybe you are with your family in the living room, staring at a tv screen, waiting to see a text that you know will never come. An old sitcom plays in front of you, the laugh track the same as every other sitcom. The phone screen is empty, no one going to answer you back. You wish someone would answer you back, and talk to you. Still, no one does.

Or maybe you are at the beach. People come and go all around you, excited to hit the cool water, or to sit back and sunbathe til they’re red all over. You sit on your towel, your book out in front of you, reading words that make you lose all thought of reality. Even as some kids scream and others laugh, you ignore everything else going on.

Or maybe you are staring at the person you love, their last breaths heaving through their tired body. You’re crying, not wanting to let go of that person. But they must leave, so you say your final goodbye and watch as their life leaves their body. You break down in tears, wishing you could take everything back that you ever said or did to them. Wishing you could bring them back.

Or maybe you are at a party. All of your friends are around you, jumping up and down as they belt out the lyrics to your favorite song at maximum volume. You join in, feeling overloaded with bliss and happiness that you wish this feeling could last forever.

Or maybe you are sitting alone in your bedroom, staring at your computer screen, reading the words of a person you have never met, and will never meet. It’s late at night, and you know that if you go to bed now you could get a lot more sleep than going to bed later. Still, you don’t. You continue reading, looking for inspiration for everything, and nothing at the same time.

Or maybe you just are.