By Piya Marschalek

Last Night I dreamt of the First time I laid my eyes on you. You had those eyes, it was like I could see the milky way in them so many different colors of the deepest browns. Throughout the years of going to school with you, I saw you glow up into the young man you are now. I want to call out to you “say you won't let go”  every time I worked up the courage to talk to you my body would go into overdrive it felt like I needed a paramedic to resuscitate me back to life. My voice cracked just like a damn onomatopoeia and I would run. Run like Harriet Tubman, fast, running for my life but like her I would always come back for more trying, again and again, to talk to you. Then you disappeared from my life completely. Where have you gone? My life became a black sea of nothingness my only regret was never saying  “ฉันรักคุณโปรดอยู่”(C̄hạn rạk khuṇ pord xyū̀- “I love you please stay”) I would yell it to you so you would never forget it. I would wait 99,797 years to see you just once more. Remember the day I bought you and me grape soda for us to drink together? I walked right up to you and spilled it all over your shirt. Oh how I felt like one of those clownfishes. But even though you yelled at me I found out that day you Knew my name. That day I felt like I could sing like Taylor swift.