I got a ‘C’ in geometry.
That’s why when I play pool
I can never break on the first try, and it doesn’t matter
If I shoot with my eyes open or closed
Because it all works out the same;
My hands still shake, and I still play on the defensive,
And you can call it what you want,
Blind confidence or beginners luck,
But I always win—
In moments of silent laughter
And drunken cries from
Bellies full and aching with pain.
Spilling Angry Orchards
Sweet in our mouths with the sticky secrets of our twenties.
And with every crack of the cue,
Scratch on the 8,
A reminder that nothing is guaranteed
Though there is victory
In the moments when you share a glimpse or two
Smiling at a stranger because life is worth every second.
Or when you realize that people listen more than you think,
And care more than you can imagine.
When you can come home and sit in your roommate’s room until two in the morning
And think to yourself, this is richness.
When you are kind,
When you are patient, and when you can give yourself grace—
When you are finally brave enough
To speak of your dad without choking,
When you can trust enough, and when you can believe again—
You know,
You have won
