In my youthful vision

I never saw a soul as full

As you, your pastel sneakers

Crooked teeth, on the bleachers

You and your imperfections

Ran inside my mind

Like chaos, like honey

Like nothing I’ve never loved

Every day was pixelated, radiant with TV static

I catch glimpses of normal

But I’m still me

Pain in my left fist

And controller in my right

There’s so many things I’ve yet to get right

But who needs self-betterment

When you can waste your coins

With the girl of your dreams?

Mental health is a myth

To these resident machines

I’m still me

Still as maudlin as I’ll ever be

Looking for a better fix than I can give

I need two double A’s to feel whole again

More than a couple days to feel fine again

She left memories in me

And I can’t erase her data no matter how hard I try

 

In my youthful vision

I saw a woman in 8-bit color

I felt the primaries on my cheeks

And suddenly pain was only secondary

The woman left me in a trance

As I continued to stare

At the faint glow right in front of me

 

She reached out a hand,

Offered me an extra life,

and said

“Welcome to the Love Arcade”