Metronome

Artwork by Joanne McGinniss

what if we sat in this space

took our skeletons out of the closet and traced  their fragile bones along the keys

no fucks to give, no people to please

just our own melodies, time signatures, some horrid notes about our failed dreams

air our dirty laundry in this weird warped version of a time machine 

and what if we undid all the do not touch-criminal-esque tape

that we worked so hard to construct

finally gave in to the breathless pleas

it would make us visible

and i don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t make the most out of minutes 

that we have in the liminal

s

  p

      a

         c

                e

but here we are, again,

 like a metronome

ticking back and forth

in the gray area

and

the gravity of our situation 

i’m now unsure

what happens when we say yes 

or no

does our fondness for each other finally

come to fruition for eternity

or do those versions of ourselves

just linger

in that weird room with the piano?

About the Authors

Ryland McGinniss is a second year History and English major with a minor in Gender and Sexuality Studies. He loves to do advocacy work whenever he can, and honestly you'll probably see some of that reflected in his writing. When he's not busy with writing, he listens to music and one of his most prized possessions is his concert t-shirt collection.