motel

and maybe it was all for show but we were happy while it lasted, right? i was blinded by the neon glow of your laughter on that long drive back from malibu and you couldn’t hear the restlessness in my smile but that doesn’t stop it from having meaning. we were young and hopeless – too drunk on life to care about the devastation left in our wake, and too caught up in each other to give thought to anything else. maybe we can look back at it and sigh without regret or maybe you stare at the flickering motel sign on the side of the highway and long to feel my lips on your skin again. to the world we were nothing but lovers lost in time. we knew it couldn’t last, but that doesn’t stop you from pulling over to look up at the dying light and wishing on the shooting star.

~

This piece was written as a response to one of the prompts of this year's Escapril challenge. It was originally shared on my Instagram story and can be found in the "Escapril '23" highlight on my page. I'm actually not that happy with the ending of it (although you'll notice it hasn't changed at all since April) but I can't quite find the right words to close it out. Mayhaps in a few months, I'll return to it. Motel: revisited.

C x