College Tip 6: Know Who Your Real Friends Are
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*The following poems are called “Thank You, Come Again” and “Underwater,” and both poems are featured in my poetry collection.
Thank You, Come Again
My existence is like a gas station.
People come and go when they need energy.
But when the tank is filled
and they see the price of my emotions
flash across the screen,
they are puzzled,
shocked even,
at the staggering numbers.
As soon as they swipe their card
and print the receipt,
they leave,
only coming back
when they’re desperately out of gas,
and they need someone
to refuel their
insatiable souls.
Even then, they know they can find a cheaper gas station somewhere else.
After all, there are plenty of others at this school.
Fewer and fewer people are coming back to me,
moving on to another station that has $3 car washes
or free vacuums
or buy one, get one free Icees.
But in the pursuit of these add-ons, they fail to recognize that
the gas at the other stations is much lower in quality.
They only care about saving money.
A part of me hates myself for realizing that these people don’t actually care about me.
At least the pain was tolerable when I was ignorant.
Now, my soul yearns for comfort,
and my energy is running low.
Have I lost it all in the pursuit of fueling others who would never do the same for me?
I guess the real me is too much for some people.
All I can say to them is this:
Thank you, don’t come again.
Underwater
You call my name from land,
but I’m stuck in water near the shore.
Frantically, I move my body against the current,
using all the air I have to scream your name.
I spot happiness in the distance,
hidden in flashes of the pink sand.
My brief hope is ripped from me
when instantly, a shark drags me beneath the surface,
its teeth clutching my legs.
I used all my energy yelling for you,
and I can’t fight the fangs anymore.
A group of sharks circle me,
grinning at my demise.
The fish around me try to help,
seeing my mouth engulfed by the waves.
But the sharks are too much for them to take on.
They end up fleeing.
Hiding themselves in the reefs,
they take the sound of my muffled screams with them.
Closing my eyes,
I try to avoid the sight of my blood
that tints the choppy waters.
The salt tickles my lips,
and it’s the only thing I can feel
before my heart drowns.
I know how you’ll react.
You’ll stand there in disbelief
for a second or two
before going back to land,
tanning for a few minutes
and building a sand castle or two
then going back home.
You don’t bother to bring home
the jar of pink sand
that I collected
because frankly,
you don’t want to remember me.
And the second you get home,
you’ve forgotten all about me.
You would never try to rescue me.
I think it’d be better if you just drove back and joined the sharks out there.
*Note: Similarly to the notion that people feel pressured to impress others discussed in my social media article, I think some students also have this notion that friends are temporary, and that they can manipulate other students whenever they choose to. It’s unfortunate that some students feel this way and don’t recognize that their actions are hurtful. But I really do believe that everybody can find their people in college; sometimes, it just takes a little pain. Even though it can be difficult, you’ll know what a “real” friend is after that experience, and you’ll be able to make stronger friendships in the future.
In this article series, I share excerpts and stories from my book, Are These the Greatest Years?. I hope you enjoyed this post — if you enjoyed it and want to connect you can reach me here via email dominicrose50@gmail.com or connect with me on social:
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Also, you can find my book on Amazon — here is the link to buy it: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08DTJMMTQ/
