There is a girl I work with
who I could only describe as “stoic”.
I think I could probably count
the number of times I have seen her smile
on one hand,
and still have four fingers to spare.
I see her five days a week
and I am constantly intimidated by her presence
because I feel like she’s annoyed
by my breathing in her vicinity.
For the first time,
I saw her outside of work
with her boyfriend
and I almost did not recognise her.
They walked hand-in-hand,
although she was all but floating away
and he was her tether to this earth.
I saw her smile at him
and I saw him smile at her
and I felt my heart break.
The closest I have ever come
to that kind of look
was the joy on his face
as I laid on the floor crying and bleeding.
Maybe that’s all I deserve.