He wrapped his arm around my shoulder
This stranger standing next to me
I recoil from his touch
And try to move away

I see a jealous face ahead of me
He saw this stranger with his arm around me
He slams his locker tight
And walks away angrily

Now again the stranger tries
To put his arm around me
Again I maneuver to be free

But if he weren’t the “stranger”,
If he was the boy on the other side of the stranger,
Would I recoil from his touch?

No…I would let his arm rest on my shoulders,
Gratefully
I would count each embrace and its length
I would feel on top of the world
I would not feel how I feel with this stranger