“Out of My League” by Catherine Lewis
Poetry Pause is the League of Canadian Poets’ daily poetry dispatch. Read “Out of My League” by Catherine Lewis.
Out of My League
By Catherine Lewis
You’re so beautiful, my brilliant date says,
looking up at me, their eyes half-closed,
with me astride their lap,
their smile effervescent
as my hands roam through their hair,
as my fingertips slither down to their waist.
And with my knees planted by their hips,
on their brand-new white chesterfield,
I can’t stop kissing them back.
I can read in their eyes
that it’s been a long time
since they’ve been happy like this.
Ughh, you’re soooo cute, I sputter out
between kisses, my fingers running
through their sleek butch haircut once again.
My eyes are limpid, giving away
how enamoured I am of this date
who’s so much more accomplished than me
(given the CV I didn’t have to google),
how far out of my league I am dating tonight
(though they messaged me first on that dating app),
how much I want to impress them, but all I have
are big fake lashes and Rihanna-branded lip gloss.
This happens whenever I swing for the fences.
I am so lucky, I whisper into their ear,
between our street corner kisses good night.
I have never said this on a date before.
The barometric pressure grows
as I wait to hear back about another date.
As I wait. As I wait.
No relief when it rains, for no plans can
we ever agree upon, before my therapist tells me
I’ve scared off another date once again.
Copyright © Catherine Lewis
Catherine Lewis is a Chinese Canadian writer based in Vancouver. Her chapbook Zipless (845 Press) is a finalist for two Bisexual Book Awards, including Bi Writer of the Year. Longlisted for the 2023 CBC Poetry Prize, she has been published in PRISM international, The Fiddlehead, The Humber Literary Review, Pulp Literature, and Plenitude Magazine. A graduate of Simon Fraser University’s Writer’s Studio, she is a two-time Banff Centre Literary Arts alumna. Catch her on Instagram or X at @cat_writes_604 or at www.catherinewriter.com.
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