On my balcony I watched a child

play with an imaginary friend,

and while texting my own friends

I laughed and laughed at him.

Then the kid starting slow dancing

with his little invisible partner,

‘how cute’ I thought to myself

while texting some girl.

The boy then started talking, talking to it

this intangible person of his mind

but I had seen enough

and had all my laughs.

So I stood up

went inside

started my shift

of talking, talking

into a computer screen.

After work

I sat in my car scrolling

scrolling until my phone

grew a face on the back

that scowled and hissed

and laughed at me.

So with tears in my eyes

I threw the phone

in the glove compartment,

then I drew a nicer

friendlier face

on the wind shield,

it was the second realest thing

I’d seen all day –

right behind that boy’s imaginary friend.

If you can slow dance

with your suicidal thoughts,

If you can finger paint

with the shades of your panic,

If you can buy your loneliness flowers

and fall in love with its sweet silences.

Well baby,

you can do anything.