This Day Poem by Imaanah Saleem

There was a dollar here,

I specifically remember it because last night I—

On the floor,

I bend down to pick it up, and quickly pack it into my pocket,
Afterwards, I walk over to the closet to find my shoes,

Not there,

I can't believe this,
It's like I'm losing my mind,
In a fit, I turn on my heels, and begin to trace my steps,

My steps,

They are loud,
Too loud for that of one bare foot or of one wearing socks,
I look down, and—

My hand finds the top of my head,

This day,

This day is like a dream,
Where everything happens in too quick a sec. for me to comprehend,
Like a flickering film, this day,

I'm in the kitchen,

By the pantry I stop because I suddenly realize that I had no reason for coming,
I ate less than an hour ago,

Bagels,

No, wait,
I recall the taste of syrup, and the smell of beef bacon,
The fluff of waffles on my tongue, and the cool OJ down my throat,
There was something else too,
Something just as sweet as it was healthy—

I leave the kitchen when I hear a sound,
A knock at the door,
At least I thought it was,

Strange,

When I step outside, no one is around,

I shake my head,

This day,
Oh this day,
This day is a day,
And oh what a day it is,

A placement under the hot sun,
Where The blaze is too much for one to think about what is going on around them,
All that washes away when the tide rolls in, this day,
Oh this day,

A thought,
I rub my hand across my face,
The thought,
No longer there.