Thread by @rafiapangestu

i o u - a Poem

i was on the front porch that evening
gazing at the vanilla twilight above,
watching the small birds flying home.
"lucky son of a bird," i sighed, chuckling.

that was the last sip of my tea—
i had made it eight hours ago,
for there was nothing to talk about,
rather everything to think about.

someone stared at me from the pond below.
he looked familiar, but i could barely recognize him.
from his face, i could tell he was disappointed.
"don’t worry, lil’ buddy, we’ll make it," i said, fake smiling.

he began to count: "1...2...3...4..."
"should i hide?" i looked around for a hiding spot.
"12...13...14...15..." he continued.
as he counted more and more, i realized something.
"21...22...23." then he stopped.

i put on a thin, one-dimensional smile.
those numbers felt like an arrow to the heart.
i refilled my tea and drank it even faster.
i looked down at him and said,
"i owe you."

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