apart
alone in a sea of youthful bodies
expression a little too precise
posture far too proper
among the lackadaisical air
of those around her
every gesture premeditated
calculated speech reveals nothing unintentional

to the right,
pert, petite blonde
recounts the events of the night just past
she giggles prettily, tossing her hair
speaking to her cookie-cutter counterpart
but
slyly eyeing the boy next to her

to the left,
a young male
-because neither 'man' nor 'boy' is appropriate-
hides a magazine behind his physics text
entranced by the airbrushed thrills
finally passes the slick-covered volume
to one of his comrades

completely foreign
truly an alien in a world not her own
she watches through veiled eyes
scornful longing
she has deemed their pastimes petty
insignificant and of little consequence
thus cannot take part
when the loneliness creeps

© 2004, Antonia Balvanz