sixteen \\ Stephanie Kniss

sixteen

Stephanie Kniss

Falling in love feels like socked feet on sidewalks Loose threads unravelling to chipped toenail polish As you balance on the ragged edges of the makeshift beam And learn the psychotic feeling of cradling a head between your palms

Clumsy lips and disappointment and excitement Letting the snow pile up heavy on the windshield And unbuckling seat belts to stretch Because you haven’t left this parking lot in two hours anyway

Sharing a soda in the park across town Cold grass scratching at your exposed thighs Fireflies released from the cave of your hands While you discover what brown eyes look like under the light of the moon

Falling in love feels like day old rain on crowded city streets Panic attacks bathed in stale yellow light Fingers tracing eyebrows and boots trampling cigarette butts As you realize you only love yourself when they tell you how to do it