"because" and "in answer to the question: what do you like to do for fun?" by Alexander Thomson
Originally published July 28, 2022
because
i started a sentence with because
just ‘cause i wanted to—
and that’s the boldest thing
i’ve ever done.
i like to live life
with one-inch margins,
sans serif
12-point font.
if i’m feeling frisky
i use comic sans.
you might call me boring
but i prefer to see myself
as homey…
i’m like mac n’ cheese
that comes from a box.
get your original,
home cooked recipe
outta here.
macaronis are supposed to be shaped
like animal characters;
the texture is way better
and you can fight me on that.
i like to sit in coffee shops
that look like a modern take
on grandma’s living room:
where the sofas and rugs
are nice and worn,
and the walls are white
and sterile, punctuated
with eclectic antiques.
i’ll have an iced black tea, please,
because i’m hardcore like that.
i find comfort in the familiar—
in looking out the window
and writing about all the things
i would never say to your face.
a ship at port is safe
but it is not what ships
are made for,
goes the saying.
i don’t feel like a ship;
i feel like the ocean:
i like to wave at ships
as they pass by.
if i create just enough turbulence,
they might look my way.
in answer to the question: what do you like to do for fun?
i’m sorry —
could you repeat that?
i didn’t catch what you said.
i couldn’t hear you over the sun
with it being over your shoulder like that
and, you know,
being so bright.
oh! —
for fun? —
like a hobby?
would it be possible
to take a rain check on that one?
i forgot to do my research
before coming here.
what about you?
(maybe i can slow my pulse
like a free diver
and resurface with something interesting to say.
gosh she has pretty earrings.)
shit!
i missed her answer.
i really wish the sun would stop
screaming at me like this.
it’s getting louder by the second.
Are you listening?
Alexander Thomson is currently a master's student studying clinical mental health counseling. He obtained his Bachelor of Science in psychology in 2019. His writing has previously appeared with Livina Press. Instagram: @ageckonamedecho