Please note: this piece contains strong language
When I talk about you I call us a club
like a kid excited to be in a gang
Not that I was in any gang as a kid
Awkward, left out, alone; Back then I didn’t fit
but these days I have people that embrace me
as I am they don’t care if I get it wrong
Tuesday: Club
Seeing Club in my calendar makes the day
releases the breath I didn’t know I held
The tension in my shoulders evaporates
anticipating the laughter that awaits
Life feels easier, all tasks less demanding
on a Club day I know I’ll see all of you
There are days I don’t speak to anybody
I don’t even hear the sound of my own voice
Unless I walk into the table again
My “oh shit” cuts the air more than passing pain
Calendar days marked Club change everything
I know the emptiness of this flat will fill
Boxes with your faces fill my laptop screen
and your words your voices your stories fill me
here I am replenished by your mere presence
Your casual reflections on your week’s events
Everyday stories of work, dogs, Netflix
Give something I didn’t know I was missing
But now I couldn’t imagine life without
Sometimes in the week you share pictures of life:
dogs, snow walks, funny graffiti, work places
but on Club days we share much more with faces
Community and friendship in your faces
Reflections of acceptance in your faces
This past year I see my life in your faces
Each week I’m so grateful to see your faces