If you don’t get the joke then don’t laugh If you feel scared then fall asleep If you can’t dream then fall in love and have someone to dream of Wash your hands before holding her, Don’t wash them after you let go If you can’t keep a promise then don’t say I love you If she smiles at you from across the crowd at the block party, Don’t say that you don’t want to die I will always remember the times her laughter balloon floated to the ceiling of my smile It’s crazy when I think of it, I never really knew how to love until you left me yearning for it Rephrased; without it I’m not sure if I want it more now or after I find someone like you I wish for a song to play the part where I forgive us I haven’t moved on but I think I’ve learned to sleep without remembering you It’s pretty easy honestly; you just don’t sleep until you die And how romantic would it be to fall dead remembering the person you love And the person that has now grown tired of your name in their mouth And you still feel like loving them when you die would feel romantic And maybe there will be a dead lover in the morning And maybe he will finally spill the name of all the people he loved And maybe the sky would be more purple and not blue And maybe the girl he loves wears his blue jeans at the block party And then perhaps she will wipe the back of her hand upon the fabric of the pants After kissing the boy she loves now and maybe then I will move on Published in Daily Times, November 29th 2018.