i started out with expectations
(little or none)
but my oh-so-coveted position
on blasted student council
required my attendance.
ah, that nemesis of wallflowers plentiful
the school dance.

i arrived a half-hour early
in order to perform my oh-so-pleasant
student council duties.
my unwilling form dragged from
the comforting presence of sweats
and the Twilight series.

the music finally started
(god, thank you for cutting such an awkward silence)
a blaring rhythm of
tasteless words and artless beats
where has the REAL MUSIC gone?

i tried to blend in, to dance
(if gyrating unpleasantly counts as DANCE)
but the lure of the dark corner
pulled me, courted me
like moth to flame.

yet, my friend
hater of wallflowers and the like
put out a hand, dragging my indisposed figure
from that soothing corner
to an unknown world of lights and music.

and thus, a miracle occurred.
SENSATIONAL
REMARKABLE
(impossible?)
the wallflower girl
metamorphosed into the social butterfly.

i chatted up those unfamiliar boys
my tongue weaving delicate flirtations
impossible under any normal—
(under ANY circumstances)
from my lips the appropriate comments flowed
in a delicate, daring river—
oh-so-different from the uhs and ums of days past.

overlooked by my (easily occupied) mind
my classmates gathered
(oh-so-subtle)
who is this new girl?
where has the socially inept girl we all knew
gone?

some winked
assuming impossibilities
(but what’s impossible with miracles?)
and others ogled unabashedly
their (astonished) minds unprepared to deal with this new development.

and the night progressed
and the new girl stayed
the new girl danced
the new girl laughed
and the new girl
outlasted expectations.
yet, perfection can never last forever
and the clock struck twelve
(alright, 9:45)
and my glass slippers turned back to sneakers
and my make-up smeared
my tongue tied itself in a pretty knot
leaving me speechless and thoughtful
and i bid adieu to that girl
the antithesis of my wallflower self.

it was just a night
my social graces
have turned to social ineptitudes
(of course)
but, it was a magical night
it gave me a glimpse into a world of flirtations
and butterfly wings.