There she stood
Hidden in the shadow of head banging bodies
Fist up to the gods of metallic brilliance
Moving to the twang of the guitar string

*The girl in the pink dress always had a taste for metal

To the girl I will never see again,

I didn't even get your name, but I feel so certain it was beautiful.
You were tiny and angelic, but in no way fragile.
You had a smile that lit up the entire concert even when the lights were dim.
I am grateful to have met you, if only for one evening.
You barely came up to my shoulder, and I am in no way tall,
But somehow, you still seemed stronger than anyone else there.
Your makeup was perfect, when I was entirely drenched in other people's sweat.
Every time you could tell I was scared, you pulled me out of the pit.
Whenever a guy was getting a little too close to me, you pulled me away instantaneously.
You made sure if anyone had water, that I got a sip.
You cared, but why?
Why in the world would you have picked me of all people to make sure I was safe all night?
This was both of our favorite bands,
But you made sure I did more than survive the night.
You made sure I was happy the whole way through.
The lights reflected on your bright red hair,
Reminding me why we associate red with love.
I don't believe in love at first sight.
But I believe that you cared about me.
And I don't know why.
But I surely care about you too.
I wish you hadn't have gotten lost in a sea of people during the encore.
I wish I had gotten your name.
I wish I had gotten to know you.
May we cross paths again, my "For One Night Only" friend.

i showered 4 times on the day you left
scrubbing and scrubbing trying to get you off my skin.
i turned the heat up all the way,
and let the burn take my mind off of you.
i threw out all your t-shirts and hoodies,
and hoped if i erased any trace of you from my sight,
it would erase you from my heart too.
i repeat "you dont love him anymore" in my head
until it becomes monotonous and numbing.
i convinced my heart it was okay to beat without you,
and my lungs that it was okay to expand
into the voids you left in my chest.


i saw you the other day, at some ****** punk concert,
and for a second, i felt a pang of nostalgia.
but like a lightning strike it was gone.
you asked my friends why i don't text you anymore
and they told you the truth:
i don't love you anymore.

Together we ride. It’s time. Rainstorms, floppy windshield wipers, traffic in chaos, wrong turns, and friendly chatter. Can you feel it? Quickly, into the Smoothie King Center—duck and cover from the gusty wind and cold rain. Feel the excitement. Long lines, money shuffling, ruckus crowds, and pleasant laughter. Hurry, find good seats. Feel the fellowship. Bodies collide and separate, sorting the confusion into order. Each lays tacit claim to their place in the mass. Press in. The concert kicks off with flashing lights, loud rhythmic voices, ecstatic music, and cheers. Togetherness. Young and old artists sing their hearts out, one after another. Rap, country, rock, pop, bluegrass, techno, alternative—in unison we scream, clap, sing, head bang, sway, cry, laugh, and raise our hands. Worship.  Pounding music engages every ethnicity, every musical genre, and every heart under Christ. We are one spirit of complete surrender. *Church.

"Shh," she hushes me.

I watch her close her mouth, then her eyes. But her very soul, she exposed to everyone, to me, in the auditorium. The music begins, and I literally see the intro of the song sink into her skin. I notice her shiver; not that i didn't want to put my arm around her to warm her up because it wasn't the temperature of the room. It was the music. She was feeling it. She is it. Her breathing to the piano's notes, her heart beat rhythmic to the dancing fingers on the keys: I can see it all. Her shoulders rising and falling--

"Oh," she softly speaks, pulling me out of my melodic reverie. "Did i just-- A tear, how silly of me to cry."

But before she could wipe her cheek, I took her hand in mine and kissed the tear away. She had this confused look, but it soon melted as I neared her.

She was not only music, she was a symphony. And every fiber of me was in tune with her, and there wasn't anything else in the room which I payed attention to.

1.
Drum beats
pound loudly
replacing your heart beat
in your chest
reaching deep within you
igniting fires and vibrations and causing earthquakes
deep within

2.
lyrics
profound and loud
thousands of voices
singing the same words together
the words we all have imprinted
in our hearts
find a home in this crowd
the words finally flowing
free and loud and passionate

3.
sound
filling you up
every pore, every hole,
no space left for anything else
you are this moment
there is no other time
it is simply now
and it is simply loud
and you are the music
body moving in tune
sound moving through you

4.
music
is everything
this moment
is everything
nothing else matters
everything is okay
everything is pure and lovely and right again
you fit in
there is a home for you
and for everyone like you
in this music
it does not matter you are strangers
you are all one in the same
and this concert is a home for everyone

i keep everything.
little moments of happiness in a box beneath my bed,
ready for me to glimpse at when the tears arrive.
the receipt from my first date,
the lipstick i was wearing when i had my first kiss,
the photo from that first party,
the ticket to the first concert i went to.
as i look at each moment,
stroke the printed band name
and run my hands over the faces of those i love most,
i can still see it all.
the laughs,
the smiles,
the loud music.
i pick up the photo
and i feel his hand round my waist again,
immediately transported back
to that night
beneath the beautiful stars,
our lips pressed together and our bodies entwined.
i glance at the ticket
and my ears ring with the memory
of dancing
and flashing lights
and jumping over the ripples of notes.
i keep everything
because it makes me happy.
i will forever have those moments with me,
and i will never let go.

It's like the crowd in a concert,
These feelings that I have for you,
They're tough to control and rackety,
They're wild and can't be underestimated,
It's simply obstreperous.

4:56am and you're breaking my reverie.
But this seems good, continue it anyway.
I want this solitary time with you.

Whilst you're annihilating my mind,
I wish to confess something,
But with denegation, I'm frightened.