Owen flailing, trying

To keep Jane afloat in the

Conversation.

Jane the Rabbit, ironically

Attempting to hide in her

Shell.

“I’m sorry,” he says.

“You seem nice,” he says.

She sips

Her coffee, letting the liquid seep on the tip

Of her tongue.

“Thanks,” she says.

“You seem nice, too,” she says.

A smile is split in half

Between them.

It isn’t much, but

A connection is made

And,

For now,

That’s enough.

Owen Turtle works at a coffee cart

Which Jane the Rabbit visits everyday

Each day Owen thinks of something to say

Jane can’t interact or she’ll fall apart

But Owen decides today is the day

His chest jazz drumming with fast beating heart

Cleans his glasses and thinks of something smart

“Hot enough for you?” unfurled the cliché

Jane the Rabbit looks up shocked, mouth agape

Surprised the turtle has tried to engage

Those creeping feelings she gets on the stage

Come hissing alive like a broken tape

Jane the Rabbit zips

Her grey hooded sweatshirt sings

Embraces in sound

She walks, her head bowed

The world frowns from up above

Saddest umbrella

Turtle glasses pass

She reflects in the lenses

Who is that rabbit?

Owen the Turtle

Dawning with recognition

She visits his coffee cart

Another recall

She’s the little boat in his

Secret crush harbor

Jane the Rabbit, in the world of magic

Spent most her life in a black silk top hat

Life in the dark can be seen as tragic

But the story, you see, is worse than that

Jane the Rabbit, when pulled to the spotlight

The audience goes from muted to loud

She’s struck like a slap with severe stage fright

And extreme discomfort with boisterous crowds

Jane the Rabbit, a fly caught in amber

Eyes wider than the craters on the moon

Turns from the noise and up arms she clambers

Too jittery by far to faint or swoon

And it’s done and back she goes in the black

The inky cold envelops like a sack