The queue was slow,
the sun too near,
a single coin pressed on my ear
Your shadow leaned along the tile,
we counted steps and stayed a while
You asked if I would buy the gate,
I nodded fast,
forgot my tape
Crushed coin,
a moment bent,
the vending hum your shirt had sent
The scent of ink and hallway chalk,
the blur of heat beneath our talk
Your sleeve brushed mine,
I looked away,
the bell not yet,
but close to play
A pause so long, it rang like truth,
inside that lazy loop of youth
You kicked the curb, your lace is loose
The curtain flapped at corner store,
you ducked beneath,
I watched the floor
My straw was bent, your hand was red,
from queuing back, a candy thread
Too hot to stain,
then let it drift away
Crushed coin,
a flick of fate,
too small to say,
too slow to wait
Your elbow grazed my notebook side,
write me in, don't hide
The chalkboard heats began to slip,
like soda foam along your lip
And as the school bell
never rang, we watched like nothing ever sank