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Track 11) Epistles on Sticky Notes

from My Life as a Dancing Rat by Jonathan Rome

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lyrics

Dear… You (Whoever you are),
This is an epistle.
An epistle on sticky notes.
Written by me,
Presented to you as you find it in some strange place.
Maybe in your locker?
Your shoe?
Anywhere except you inboxes and DMs.


I hope you’ll be able to understand what I’m saying
despite the lack of visual cues
most others will use
when they don’t know what they’re saying
But they want you to understand anyway…
Anyway…
I’m writing this because I saw you crying once.
Crying about some guy that broke your heart over text.
Using emojis to beg for your forgiveness and eternal friendship,
As he slides into some other girl’s DM.
So you wished that guys could go back to being how they were.
Slicking back their hair.
Combs in their pockets.
Filmstock in lockets
Around your necks.
The cold metal leaving an impression just above the heart.
And he’s staring at those eyes of yours,
Admiring your full beauty as he slips you his sportsman jacket.
You guys sit in some convertible under moonlight and the stars have reached their full potential.
At least in those times, if he were to break up with you over a letter,
He’d get cramps writing his excuses down.
So, here’s a letter.
An epistle written on sticky notes.








I got this idea from an old friend of mine.
This dancer behind a clipboard.
Whenever I was having a bad day, I’d somehow find a sticky note in the strangest places.
Like behind the button on my camera strap.
Or in my shoes when I asked her to watch my bag for a minute.
I swear, she’s put sticky notes everywhere but the tea she brought me every morning when I was sick.
Each one had an inside joke to compliment the compliments she wrote to me.
Things like, “I can’t tell you how much I’ll miss you next school year.
Just remember we’ll always be together... in the Twilight Zone”.
We both loved The Twilight Zone.
She penned the same messages that fifth graders would pen to someone they might like,
Despite their major cooties.
But she did so in a way where it related to us.
It related to this weird friendship we had, where we sat in the dark watching “Arsenic in the Laces” while our peers watched “Annabelle”.
Every time I’d try being sneaky, she’d call me out.
I’d ask how she knows and she’d simply respond with,
“Because you’re hitting high C’s with your voice.”
I remember every time I doubted myself, she listened to me rant about what a terrible person I am.
And when I was done, there’d be a note in my shoe the next day.
Reminding me that even if I don’t think I fit into this world, we’d still see each other…
in the Twilight Zone.


I wish I had something more personal to say.
I wish I could guarantee your protection from the world,
Or my friendship, should you accept it, being a prescription for your happiness.
I can’t quite do that yet.
But there are a couple of things you should know.
That you can get up.
You can take a breath.
That way, you’ll never let death
Get the better of you.
You’ll strengthen yourself.
And if you don’t think you have any left,
Wish for it.
The stars are waiting with a pen and pad,
Just notice them,
Just know…


You are not worthless.
You are not a disgrace.
If you looked up ugly on Google,
Be prepared to find pages upon pages of the souls of people saying
“You’ll never amount to anything.”
You’re nowhere to be found under that tag,
So stop saying that you are ugly.
You’re fantastic.
Dare I say it,
You’re swagalicious.
If you’re hearing me right now,
That’s the only way I can describe how amazing you are.
Because amazing is too average a word to use, I need to use a made up one.
That makes you extraordinary.
Now, get off your ass and do something swagalicious-ly.
Make the world extraordinary.


You’re armed with this amazing tool called your voice, don’t be afraid to use it.
There will be times where it doesn’t sound like much, but I swear,
If life were a basketball game, this would be the pair
of magic Jordans you’d climb a telephone wire for.
I understand life is not just an underdog team
getting the winning streak
in the last 15 minutes of a sports movie.
But life grants you access to so much more when you speak.
And if you’re too sad to do so, be sad.
A Josh Gad stunt double said, “Take your time to be sad. In a way, you’ve earned it.”
Endure it.
Because life is manic depressive and time moves way too fast,
Your time is almost here, and if you don’t believe me, ask Albert Einstein.
Treat every minute in life like Einstein’s comment on relativity is true.
Like it’s the only motto you ever knew.
Because, you know, life will go by in a flash.
Don’t just dash
To the door, take your time.
Be rash
In your decisions.
Use these choices to Slash
Scars into your mind,
And Gnash
Your teeth at the time trickling slowly down to remind you to speed your ass up.
Give whiplash to those who doubted you,
Passing out umbrellas because they’re in the splash zone,
And, honey, you’ll be making a splash.


People may be vastly more interesting when you don’t quite know them,
But I want to know you.
I want to understand.
It’s a risk I’m willing to take,
Because Atlantis won’t seem as cool once we find out where it is,
But I’ve got this rare feeling that you’re much cooler than Atlantis will ever be.
To sum it up,
You’re reading this epistle on a sticky note right now because I don’t know you,
But I think you’re pretty damn cool.
Make sure everyone else knows that too.


Here’s to many more poems and epistles on sticky notes.
Here’s to whatever happens between you and me,
Whether we
Get involved in ways no one can understand,
Or if after I lend a hand you decide that guys are fine just the way they are.
Whatever happens…
I’ll be here…
Writing...


Love Always,
Rome.

credits

from My Life as a Dancing Rat, released November 11, 2016

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about

Johnny Rome Salinas, California

Poet, FIlmmaker, Author, Editor, Actor, Screen/Play writer, and Dancing Rat... If I can do anything being alive for 16 years, you can too.

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