breaking the seal by Leah Lin
the alcohol sits in my stomach
rushing to my head
my ears and my cheeks
dulling my mind
as my eyes stay on the screen
lazily watching the movie
in front of us
we’ve both seen it before
but I find myself laughing too hard
at the funny bits
and smiling too wide
when I hear you laugh too
I point out little details
to keep you interested
in the movie
(in me)
you fall asleep for a bit
I only realize
when I laugh again
and hear no response
I look over
and find myself staring
at your eyelashes—
the most beautiful eyelashes
I’ve ever seen
the movie ends
you wake up
sighing while you stand and say
you don’t want to break the seal
but you need to use the bathroom
turns out
as I wait for you to return
I don’t want to break the seal either
I don’t want this to end
I don’t want to let go
but we sleep in different beds
and the next day I leave
the next month we text a little less
the next year you’re dating someone else
and I’m writing this poem
alone in my room
about a night that seems so far ago
about a girl that seems so out of reach
I wasn’t ready to let you go then
and I’d like to say I finally have
but here I am
thinking of you
thinking of someone else.