See Me: 2020 Poetry WINNER

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WORDS BY LAURA MORDEN.

Cigarette smoke and familiar eyes

Your fingers curl around tendrils of my hair

You are dangerous, 

You are unknown,

But I find home in your smile 

On this inky, infinite night

Punctured by laughing stars

(You belong in my memories)

The inexplicable intimacy of lips—

Tell me all of your secrets and I’ll tell you mine 

Shared drinks keep a fire burning 

Inside me

I dance, I laugh, I flirt

I call out wordlessly 

See me

                        See me

                                    See me

Artist Statement

I wrote the poem ‘See Me’ after attending a party where I happened to see an old friend from my childhood and I couldn’t help but be drawn to him. I knew that I would never see him again, but there was a safety in that—knowing that this night would be nothing more than a memory. This poem is a way to explore the conflicting feelings I had towards him; it captures my recklessness and desperation to be loved as I beg him to see me, but it is my fear of rejection that keeps me silent. 

EDITORIAL NOTE: This article has been reuploaded and was originally published in 2020.