Decoupling Poem by anais vionet

Your life may be full of sparkles and ove-lay but the rest of us sometimes struggle under storm clouds.

Anna (one of my roommates) broke up with her BF of a year. It seemed to happen in agonizing, slow motion. Anna wavered, for almost a week, like a feather caught in contradictory gusts, but finally, she gave him the broom.

Jump ahead four days to Saturday. New Haven was a drizzle-fest of cold rain and my suitemates all stayed in. I had hospital volunteer hours that morning (6am-10am) and then managed to whip through my chemistry homework (3 classes) in 3 quick hours.

When everyone was free, we ordered pizzas and wings. We have to meet deliveries at the front gate, and I was barely able to carry it all. "Pizza! " I announced, as I entered the suite, where I was immediately mobbed.

"Le' me get to the table! " I whined as I bobbed and weaved through the crush like a prizefighter. As soon as I set it down, the pizzas were claimed, and the girls took their usual seats.

Lisa always sits on floor cushions, by Anna, at the low, white coffee table. After a few bites, she hugged Anna, giving her a "rawr." She hadn't really seen her since the decoupling.
You iight? " she asked Anna.
Anna waved her hands in the air, like she was sweeping smoke away, because her mouth was full, but she nodded, ‘YES' emphatically.

"Let's play something, " Leong said, meaning music on the linked Amazon Echos throughout the suite. "Choose! " she said, motioning to Anna.
Anna replied, "Don't Wanna Fight" (by Alabama Shakes) .
"A classic, " Leong agreed, searching it out. "Amen, " Sunny chuckled.
"Love it, " Lisa said, dancing in anticipation while seated on her cushion.
"Mmmm! " I added, because my mouth was full of pizza.
Cue ‘Don't Wanna Fight.'

Two nights later, we were at one of those dances we jokingly call ‘fashion week events' and Anna arrived a little late. I couldn't take my eyes off her. Her messy-bunned copper-cherry red hair was highlighted with phosphorescent hair chalk that glowed penny bright in the right light. She was wearing a red dress that looked painted on, her face sparkled with ‘unicorn snot' glitter and her lips were a fun phosphorescent green, as if they were dipped in Kool-Aid.

"Look at her, " Sunny said, indicating Anna, "getting back on the horse and trying to arrange her next emotional trauma."

"They grow up so fast, " I said, fake-dabbing my eyes like a teary parent.
.
*slang..
decoupling = a breakup
ove-lay = ‘love' in pig latin
rawr = ‘I Love You' in dinosaur
iight = alright*