this is for the snakes and the people they bite...

watching kids land their first kickflip,
drinking coke from a glass bottle,
or watching Bon Iver
sing Heavenly Father live
at the Sydney Opera House.

a reminder:
the world is still capable of soft things

like falling asleep on a couch
that finally forgives your weight

or a fragile person
curling into your arms
like safety was always a language you spoke

you are someone’s sanctuary
even when you forget how to live in your own skin

dipping hot fries into a Wendy’s Frosty
in the passenger seat
on the way home from the beach

sun-drunk, salt-sticky, alive
feeling the heat on your skin
arguing with the wind

pull up to the function late
a minute and a half left
and still sing the chorus
like it’s the only proof you exist

loud. wrong. honest.

and maybe that’s the thing—

you still might see tomorrow
if you stay.