You began to read in that clear voice which you think resembles an old friend telling you a story.

You say words with your chest and know there is power in your voice.

Your smiling figures cast shadows against her yellow walls.

as if light is something that can be held.

You don’t fit in the box but he has squeezed you in.

and you’re not talking but your bodies are confessing their truths out loud.

‘Afraid of Us’ by Jonwayne,

You wonder how long this moment could stretch for, and how much it could contain: you, her, this crowded basement of singles and couples and groups, the Black woman at the bar who sees you both, who you see too, Theo and his band on stage, nostalgia, melancholy, joy, concrete floors, makeshift walls, applause, a night too warm, introductions, cigar

You fit, like this is an everyday.