i cried myself to sleep the night Tom Petty died
inconsolable, i gripped your hand until i drifted off
Love is a Long Road playing in the background
and damn if that song doesn’t hold up
you can blame it on cheesy cinematography and movie montages, but i believed true happiness only exists when you’re spinning in circles, arms out, face toward the sky, in a field of wildflowers
and real, deeply felt sadness can only be experienced looking out the rain-covered window of a charter bus taking you away from your love
but I never took geography, so I guess my heart didn’t understand distance
and it chose to love someone hundreds of miles away
and in your absence my movie’s black and white
but I’ve learned to appreciate the small things
like the music on the radio, and this guitar riff that’s got me feeling so good
and when you’re here I know that genuine joy exists, even without artistic angles and careful lighting
even though my mind is always racing, you slow it down with an infusion of color
and i know this is my token shopping-mall-montage
the kind with dancing, laughter, and a slew of outfit changes
because with you I can be a thousand things, none of which is inauthentic
it feels good to be this free
i’m way past falling for you, and i grew up on Full Moon Fever…
but now your snores are the soundtrack to my sleepless nights,
and even though it’s only my thoughts that are spinning, i keep my face to the sky
because like was promised to me way back then, I know we’re Alright for Now
Allison McCutchen
Allison is a part-time dental hygienist, full-time graduate student, and all-around oddball. She enjoys cartoons, cookies, and attempting various gymnastic feats with varying degrees of success. She currently resides in the very conservative West Texas area and is itching to venture back out into the rest of the world.
