For the Sonorous
Paralysis
I miss you
(an object? A person? A memory?)
The way you smiled
Like a flower budding
Slowly unfurling its petals.
The last time I --
(thought, cared, saw)
Everything seemed to
Have worn down since then,
Your sneakers
About to crack
My voice was already
Cracking
Just a little bit.
And if you had asked me
“How are you doing?”
(Would I say okay?)
I’d say I was
Alright
I’d nod
and a guttural noise would emerge
From the deep recesses of regret
and I’d pretend
It was a laugh.
I would wonder what to say next
While looking at your eyes
Unblinking, they look off into a direction
Unbeknownst to me.
(How are you? Are you excited? How did you do?)
And while you talked,
I’d fumble with my fingers
(Do you even miss me?).
Process: I have a good friend from middle school who I have a lot of good memories with. Sometimes I get overly nostalgic and attached to those memories, and this piece recounts a notable interaction I had with him. It’s a blend of me trying to find a good balance of retaining those memories and accepting that things have changed since then.
Connie Liu is a high school junior living in Pennsylvania. She draws quite a bit, but wanted to dabble in writing after reading so many wonderful pieces in literary magazines. When she isn't doing something art or writing related, she can be seen playing tennis or singing the wrong lyrics.
