You Can Learn A Lot
by Johnny Lugo
Illustration by Samzok Wangdi
You can learn a lot when youre alone
at 1 in the morning
You see that loneliness gives you time
for reflection
Being lonely is only a curse when
you cant enjoy yourself
You see that you can do those extra ten
push ups as disgust reflects from the mirror to your eyes
Is that what it means to enjoy yourself?
You see that silence is pleasing
It brings peace when all you hear
Is the rush of waves crashing at the base
of your skull begging to pour out and flood the room you rest in
I wonder what it would feel like to swim in the ocean?
You can learn a lot when youre alone
at 3 in the morning
You realize that the color green has new meaning
Its not just the color of double-mint
35¢ gum that you eat to clear
your breath of the green Newport smoke
Its not just the color of buds being rolled
into a blanket of brown that
brings you to the clouds
Its not just a green label on a bottle
full of zombifying pleasures
Its not just the color of a text you
hope is not just your parents
I wonder what it is then
You can learn a lot when you're alone
at 4 in the morning
You question the validity of relationships
Compliments
Money
Love
Touch
You give them everything of value
And more
Yet you can’t even
Get a text
Or call
Or a hello
At the end of the day you aren’t sure
If you are even friends anymore
And in the darkness of the night
The loneliness
Makes you question
I wonder what life would be
In the absence of
Relationships?
Even platonic love
Is too painful to bear
You can learn a lot when youre alone
at 5 in the morning
You find that the color blue tastes different
Its not a rope choking you, making you
spit words up in an anxiety-filled fit
Its not a dark shade rather
Ombre
Shade of emotions & personalities
connected through one anomaly that
reforms your life
The color blue tastes like the tears that
flow out my eyes
But only when I’m alone
The color blue tastes like that crushing feeling
in your chest when the breath cant seem to find a way out
I wonder what it would be like without breath?
You can learn a lot when youre alone
at 2 in the morning
You find the flashes of color arent real
& you remember
The rainbow spectrum that coated your surroundings
As you found new meaning in life
& new appreciation for the miracles around you
As god whispers dirty secrets in your ear
A wolf jumped into my mouth & I howled at the moon
But no reply
I wonder why
You can learn a lot when youre alone
at 6 in the morning
You find the sunrise relaxing yet perplexing
Is that the sound of the world haunting over you
Or is it just your sleep deprived mind tricking you into a state of paranoia?
You hear the sound of your fan clicking & the chips of birds waking up to do what birds to
I wonder what that is
I wonder what it would be like with sleep
You can learn a lot when your only company is the bright red clock shining numbers into your cracked eyes
& you cant do anything but think
Johnny Lugo is a junior attending Wheaton College. Additionally he is part of the SOLE step team and an editor on the board of smudge. Although majoring in sociology and neuroscience, his passion for writing started young and never stopped.