February 10 – don’t forget

today was

r/u/s/h/e/d,

don’t forget:

to get a signature on that line,

remove a comma, change that word, hit publish,

time enough to grab a can of iced tea with the bottle of vitamin D supplements,

in the pick-up line at 3:43,

thrifted shoes that will only make my ankle sore,

pair the right blazer with the right pants with the right necklaces,

makeup in twenty minutes,

out the door with barely time for a picture,

rat-a-tat-tat-tat of my heartbeat,

set a reminder with my brightness all the way down and make a list in my notes app

don’t forget:

to breathe

because tomorrow will be just the same,

might as well be today,

with the to-do list that will stretch past midnight,

and i’ll miss it all,

caught up in the dots rather than the spaces between

so don’t forget: 

to take a picture in the mirror before you run out the door,

close your eyes in the shower and feel every bead of water dripping down your skin,

write a poem, and stop to let the words come to you,

listen to a love song in the car,

make a corny valentine during class time,

turn your phone on just to smile at the lock screen or the most recent text,

throw your clothes in the laundry basket

don’t forget:

that occupying every moment within your radius is exhausting,

you were only meant for right now