[p o e t r y]

Couples and Drinks

Living life,
In your twenties,
Alone
And alongside couples
Is such a beautiful and painful
Contradiction

Tonight I was a bit alone
The only single
In a sea of couples

We went back,
Myself and
My dating- soon to be engaged- friends
To our newly married friends' home

What a strange combination
Two dating,
Two married,
One with just herself

It stung a bit.

I held my breath
Before I left,
Praying for the courage
To be at peace
Being the only one alone
Praying for the
Heart within me
To break a little softer
And burn a little less

Yet,
Though it stung a bit,
The singleness did not consume me

I wasn't alone.
I wasn't unloved.
I was still invited,
And I was well loved

They sat on the couch beside me,
Taking turns in the seat to my left,
Sacrificing cuddles
To make sure I was seen

My friend C,
Asked for subtitles because
"Beth is deaf"
Even when I wasn't watching
The movie that played

My friend Andrew
Made me a drink,
A special pink one,
Without alcohol,
And without teasing.
He respected me
And my love for fancy glasses
But also my decision not to drink.
Just like his wife before
Had bought me a bottle
Of sparkling grape juice
So that I could toast
With the others
At her bachelorette.

A non-alcoholic fun little drink.
The only cup,
Not spiked with something,
Just like me,
The only person
Not paired with someone,
And yet,
My cup didn't feel any less special
Than the couples' drinks
If anything,
My drink tonight,
Felt all the more important
Because it meant that I was seen
And not judged or teased,
But still so seen

01/20/23