# #parties

3 poems

## [hinge](https://chromato.graphics/hinge)

door in our place i never open  
out of fear and too much want  
touch the knob — i am shocked

sounds like a party in there  
but where is my invitation?  
missing out doesn’t scare me

sometimes, it’s open a crack  
scents from the kitchen waft  
my favorite dish on the menu

i give up. nothing better to do  
splayed on gray wool, rubbing  
nothing matches their rhythm

the guests tire, it swings open  
streamers and confetti spilling  
must be my job to clean ’em up

## [mirror](https://chromato.graphics/mirror)

i’m sorry i bumped into you.  
i thought you were a mirror.  
your clear surface showed  
what they saw of me then.

parties are meant for diffusion,  
but we focused instead.  
twisting the lens to almost  
make out what was there.

i’m sorry i couldn’t touch you.  
i thought you were a mirror.  
i feared leaving greasy prints  
for everyone to see.

museums of mailboxes and phones  
reveal past and future connections.  
a present —  
behind smudged display glass.

i’m sorry you didn’t see me  
waving at you in the city.  
i thought you were a mirror.  
you weren’t yet waving back.

being gay is hard sometimes.  
hotel bathrooms get steamy,  
you can’t always get the right angle  
before the image blurs.

i’m sorry we were interrupted.  
i thought you were a mirror.  
i never dreamed anyone would  
walk through it and shatter the glass.

i need to move but i can’t sleep.  
some things aren’t done yet.  
i’m hiding from sunrise, from men,  
under blankets and cardboard towers.

i’m sorry i looked so long.  
i knew you were a mirror,  
but i couldn’t spot the vanishing point.  
some reflections distort; yours perfects.

## [ftl](https://chromato.graphics/ftl)

random chance meeting  
sweater that shimmers  
parties are fleeting  
your glances glimmer

post selfies in slack  
our dms vanish  
a coffee date ask  
making a plan-ish?

calls about lost work  
texts about gender  
watching your lil’ smirk  
my heart grows tender

shopping for red skirts  
sharing a small lunch  
enjoying my quirks  
i’m having a hunch…

flirting a little  
to see if it sticks  
too noncommittal?  
or does it just click

late night at a show  
we let our legs brush  
at the bar i chose  
you admit your crush

a ride to your place  
the tension growing  
sharing a small space  
finally knowing

nervously waiting  
for you to arrive  
_fuck, now we’re dating._  
we instantly vibe