confusion

The first day
He came up
Next to me
"I saw you last night"
He says
A phrase that would be kinky
But it's not

We talk
Get to know each other
Watch one another
For a few days
Across the classroom
Before talking again

Once again
He comes up
Next to me
Sits in the empty seat
Vacated by a stranger
We talk
And talk
And talk

Walk around
With each other
Ride up to the summit
Of the highest mountain
He takes a picture
On one of his phones
To take back with him

We stand in line
To order ice cream
Talk
And talk
And talk
Sore from "squash"
And tennis
The night before
He shared his Vitamin Water
With me
Almost a stranger

On the bus back
We fall asleep
He almost falls on me
We arrive
I nudge him
"Wake up"
As the sensei
Starts to talk
Startled
He opens his eyes
Still "sleepy"

I'm not sure
Of his thoughts
Or of mine
For that matter
I just know

I love this job

How can you think that you are a monster?
Just because you’re different than others?
You need to break your mind out of that blur
And listen to the thoughts of another.
You were born differently, it is true,
But that doesn’t make you any less real.
You are still your own person, through and through
You are able to laugh, cry, hurt, and feel.
You want to learn what your place is on earth,
But first, there’s something you must understand.
One isn’t labeled a fiend by one’s birth,
But by the choices one makes on this land.
I know that you are not at all a beast,
But I wish that you’d trust yourself at least.

trapped
in the realm of confusion
where things make less sense
than usual

so wrong
and nonsensical

none of this
should be happening
unless it's just my
imagination
which has always been
rampant.

but it seems like it's
real
whatever "it" is

and whatever "real"
is.

It's rather unclear.
I'm not sure what I'm
supposed to do about
it

if in fact "it"

There once was a girl form Peru. Her name was Betty-Lou. She had long wavy brown hair and eyes like the bluest seas; well as far as 13-year-olds go. She loved to play and laugh with her friends. They would jump rope and ride bikes. On bright days they’d go swimming at the park and on dull rainy day they’d watch movies at her house.