Last week, I got to celebrate Valentine’s Day with a group of people I truly love: Oakland youth. Teaching a writing workshop, it was a dozen high school kids and me, talking about love, heartbreak, and how Rihanna could go back and make a song with Chris Brown. (The general consensus: self-love is the hardest love of all. I’m telling you, my kids know what’s up.)

We were talking about Valentine’s Day cards and candies and Twitter shout-outs, and how we do (and do not) communicate our love these days. Here is the piece that I wrote, something different than my normal style. And just a disclaimer so no one starts talking about how “oooh…Josh cheated on his girl” — this piece is totally fictional. Meaning…NOT about me. I mean, come on, I don’t mess with Tumblr like that. I keep it strictly WordPress.

With that said, enjoy. And then get off your screen and go love someone.

Twenty-First Century Lover’s Lament

stuck on my computer
like i’m stuck on her
computer / compute her
cheated 3 times, not trying to Newt her
play political prostitute like Gingrich
see which sea to shining sea
i can beach with
reach with her on the horizon

stuck on my Verizon
like i’m stuck on her
Facebook got me rethinking my timeline
lifelines, got none left
pulled mine too soon
that’s why she left
that’s why she kept telling me
“Baby, I’m not a machine
that you can turn on & off
when you please
tease me like an iPad
spring me like a trap
you had my whole soul, no control,
but you chose the sold-out app”

stuck on my Tumblr
like i’m stuck on her
wanna blog her up and down
but now all i can do
is check her pics on Flickr
can’t even flick her off
kiss her neck
hear her laugh
feel her breath
love her
love her
love her

i couldn’t even say
i love her
except in a text

she said, “you’ve got one more chance.
say it to my face.”

i said, “I…I…
I ♥ you”
and then she left