False Reflection

Under flickering bulbs that scalded the sweat

on my neck, a stranger's voice slid sharp

across the noise—a sudden blade of sound

"You’re beautiful."

Not a question, not a smile,

just the bare bones of a phrase,

empty and sudden like a door slammed

against the night. I stood still,

not sure how to catch the words,

not sure they were meant for me.

I traced the edges of disbelief,

as shadows caught the dampness of my shirt,

those syllables too loose to hold,

falling like dry leaves without soil,

and in that overheated, crowded room,

I felt the silence grow between us,

a vast, hollow space where maybe

beauty forgot to reach.