There I sit

in the front row

of class.

My head rests in the strong

hold of my hands,

and my elbows dig

into the table.

The door opens,

and a gust of warmth enters

the cold, lonely room.

 

It’s him.

 

I hear his

rhythmic footsteps,

his muddy sneakers

squeaking against the linoleum floor

like a voice of protest.

I try to look up

at the slideshow

about photosynthesis

but my eyes betray me,

and my heart says otherwise.

My head puts up a fight,

refusing to look his way.

But the heart wins,

and our eyes meet.

 

I am running out

of air.

 

I feel the corners

of my eyes

crinkling.

The sides of my mouth

turn up into

a little smile.

My stomach falls

twelve stories,

and a mysteriously pleasurable

feeling wells inside of me.

 

His eyes,

those emerald jewels

that sparkle like

droplets of liquid diamond,

bore into mine.

 

The world disappears.

Nothing exists

except us.

His eyes and mine,

bound in spiritual union.

 

His eyes crinkle,

and an intoxicating smile

fills his dimples.

 

I melt.

 

A deep, beautiful sound

flows from his lips.

“Hi,” it says.

 

I feel something tickle

me from inside.

It makes me shudder

with pleasure.

 

Suddenly, my brain

wakes up from its

ephemeral sleep.

It pushes my heart

out of the way, locking it

up in its cage

once again.

 

My head turns away

from his piercing gaze

and my eyes look up

at the slideshow

about photosynthesis.

My eyes belong here,

but my heart belongs

two rows behind me.

 

I feel his gaze

burning on my back.

My heart thumps

loudly in its cage.

My eyes try

to escape the

dull glow of the slideshow

about photosynthesis.

My heart thumps

even more loudly

in anticipation.

Thump-thump.

Turn-around.

Thump-thump.

Turn-around.

 

My eyes finally

break free from the slideshow

about photosynthesis.

The muscles of my neck

try to escape their

cramped positions.

But then a new, unpleasant

sound enters.

It drowns out the

excited thump-thump

of my heart.

It speaks drearily

about photosynthesis.

 

The new voice is too strong,

and the cries

of my heart are reduced

to nothingness.

My eyes look up once again

at the dull glow of the slideshow

about photosynthesis.

His gaze is left unanswered,

and my heart remains

a lonely prisoner.