"Sometimes I Don’t Like the Way Life Imitates Art (or: I Think I Prefer Simpler Things)" by Veronica Habashy

Sometimes I Don’t Like the Way Life Imitates Art (or: I Think I Prefer Simpler Things)

saturday after thanksgiving / evening trip to museum / wore my new navy sweater / was not warm enough //

completed the galleries like a puzzle / did a lot of scanning / not much singing / or dancing / reading / falling / breathing //
                                                          we got ice cream
                                                          /fire alarm went off in european art/i don't understand english anyways//

i tend to forget what day it is / at least since we stopped checking the time / for each other // last day i remembered / sunday in october / was on time for once / made you get coffee with me / everyone was at church / fire alarm went off in the valley / i wore a green dress / sweat through new socks / wished someone would pray for me //

sometimes i think you took my punctuality with you //

you took me to european art / somehow i wasn’t able to see anything in your favorite paintings / tried anyways / also tried to explain how i didn’t understand english / you got mad at me for walking through the museum / too fast / thought maybe you were playing a game / that you just wished i’d have walked next to you / usually i do museums alone / i try to explain / i try / convince myself you’re smiling / holding the ping pong paddle behind your back / ready for another match //

we get ice cream / eat it outside / it’s strange when you look at me / most days i feel too stupid dumb cold dull for you / but when you let me teach you how to eat the ice cream from the bottom of the cone / so you get every last drop / it feels a lot like modern art // easy //

not to say modern art is easy //

we try european art again / you try to teach me english / you try / i still don’t like it / slow down for you anyways / apologize                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      /it's okay/
                                                                                                                                                                                    drag you to the gift shop // buy a puzzle//

fire alarm goes off
//

Veronica Habashy

Veronica Habashy is, among other things, fifteen-years-old and from Los Angeles, California. Her work has appeared in The Round (Brown University), as a feature of Prometheus Dreaming's “emerging artists” category, and in the Esthetic Apostle.

Headshot: Linda Dove

Photo Credit: Kaylee Wallace