Valentine's Day
Poetry by Tamara Nasution
We spent the day at a Japanese restaurant, silently
working our chopsticks waiting for one another
to break whatever there was. I might be expecting
an apology, but it didn’t matter much
because at this point it would be a soliloquy.
After individual plates, what I received were snickers
about what the years have made of my face.
I should have known, it was almost like I had forgotten
the person you were. As it happened, the next year
I came back for more as if it was an annual thing
for me to be denying any recollections.
It wasn’t all different, this time around you
told me stories of how you had hurt another
one, the same person you had bragged about the
previous Valentine’s. I was disappointed all the same,
I must have not realized that I had been waiting for you
to change. In a silly way I must have hoped for another
chance. The next year might turn out differently,
but I ended that night in your luxury car; my arms
around you, lips landed where they wanted to.
working our chopsticks waiting for one another
to break whatever there was. I might be expecting
an apology, but it didn’t matter much
because at this point it would be a soliloquy.
After individual plates, what I received were snickers
about what the years have made of my face.
I should have known, it was almost like I had forgotten
the person you were. As it happened, the next year
I came back for more as if it was an annual thing
for me to be denying any recollections.
It wasn’t all different, this time around you
told me stories of how you had hurt another
one, the same person you had bragged about the
previous Valentine’s. I was disappointed all the same,
I must have not realized that I had been waiting for you
to change. In a silly way I must have hoped for another
chance. The next year might turn out differently,
but I ended that night in your luxury car; my arms
around you, lips landed where they wanted to.
About the Writer
Tamara (she/her) was born and raised in small town in Indonesia. She has been writing since her preteen years and has several pieces of her works selected for publication, including for a poem contest organized by the ASEAN. Her writings are mostly derived from her personal experiences; she often writes about what it is like to be queer among a heteronormative society. When she's not writing, Tamara works full-time in a nonprofit focusing on children. She is passionate about humanitarian aids and climate change adaptation. You can catch more of her on her social medias:
Instagram @kappaca
Twitter @sacredswamp
Instagram @kappaca
Twitter @sacredswamp
