poem: alana hayes

The Word Was Mamihlapinatapai

Some people have a song,
we had a word. The one
where two people, looking at each other from across a room,
both acknowledge, separately, and to themselves,
that they are interested in the other person.
Which is what we did,
and then we started dating.
Which, in retrospect, is what we shouldn’t have done.
But at least I had you for the prom pictures,
and at least I know what having a word feels like.
It feels like something I’d like to have again.
I want to look at someone and know what word we feel like.
I want to look at someone and know the word is love.

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about the writer: alana hayes

you can learn more about alana hayes here.