we're all together in this. we're always reaching. always putting people in boxes. trying to save them for later. never full. never awake enough. judging. ranking our misgivings. holding off, out. shivering inside. beaming inside. harboring bags under our eyes. cranking it up. wearing it for show. wanting people to look. wanting someone to care. calculating. hoping for an opportunity. thanking god even when we don't believe in it. wondering about time. about the future. about death. about how to get there. how to balance on our toes. slipping. climbing back up for more. getting slapped in the face. being defensive. trying to act proud. trying to be humble. forgetting. observing. getting drunk. wishing for fantastical scenes from a movie. getting our hopes up. shaking vulnerability. throwing stones. creating semblences. fearful. letting people down. losing people. shifting under the weight. growing out our hair. growing out of shoes, out of lovers. weary of situations. questions. what will happen if we stay. what people will say when we go. what's our specialty. what's the special of the day. will we get accustomed. will we color in the black and whites. when will it slow down. do we want it to slow down. can we face ourselves when it slows down. thinking too much. analyzing our friends. picking apart our relationships. picking apart our hearts. avoiding cracks in sidewalks. in people. in glasses. trying not to stumble. tipping things over. accidentally seeing things. reading books. getting lost in other peoples lives. putting other people first. taking care of ourselves. neglecting ourselves. sticking it to the man. selling out for show. pretending like we know where we're going. dressing up. throwing it on. looking in the mirror. sneaking glances of everyone in the room. wishing someone would just hold our hand. misunderstanding. being misunderstood. getting our feelings hurt. giving too much. wanting to take it back. or throw it up. put it under the bed. fold it. we're all considering. blowing it. rising to the challenge. writing it down. stirring it. straightening it out. for better or worse or better again. for the love of the way we pronounce it, of the girl next door, upstairs, in the bottom of our stomachs. we're all just here. and that's beautiful too.