'Hey Ya' by OutKast plays in the background

Nobody wants to hear the song

And everybody dances

A room full of mouths turn to

each other and the chorus falls

from everyone’s tongue

As if they all write the song

every time it plays

A test of fidelity to the feeling

of alone that kills

Even I, the wallflower pressed

into the snack table, know the

lyrics before they invite me

inside

The song will never hurt like the

hurt of air escaping the past

The song never had lyrics

before the moments our hearts

broke

We don’t know how to stick

together for long enough that

the pictures are worth the

memories

We know we’re not happy here,

and that’s okay for the night

because we know the melody

This is the song everyone at the

party dances to, even if only the

feet know the words.

Nobody wants to meet

themselves in another face

Nobody wants to hear the song

But our heartbeats drain to the

floor before the bottoms of our

shoes turn cold

We finally know what’s cooler

than being cool

Everybody dances