I looked at you with a smile
It was a crooked kind of smile
I waited...
And waited...
Waited some more....
But there was no crooked smile back
Not even a tiny one
So I just awkwardly walked away
And I'm assuming you did too

(Read this and more by Anna, Writer of the Month for the May/June issue of The Voice!)


I glanced at you
It was a crooked kind of glance
Where I cocked my head to one side
Sort of like a puppy
And guess what?
I received no crooked glance back
I froze with embarrassment
And locked my eyes to the floor
You probably did too

I walked toward you
It was a crooked kind of walk
Where my feet want to go towards you
But my brain was being reluctant
I was hoping you'd walk toward me too
But of course,
There was no crooked kind of walk coming from you
So I avoided you
You probably avoided me too

I nodded to you
It was a crooked kind of nod
The greeting kind of nod
Where you acknowledge the other person
Sort of like a silent hello
Yet, there was no crooked nod back
So I blushed
And hung my head low
So you couldn't see my about-to-be tears
You probably did the same

I looked at you one more time
One more time with my crooked kind of smile
Not expecting anything
Not a crooked glance
Not a crooked walk
Not a crooked nod
Not even a crooked smile back
I was right
So I sprinted away this time

And I was crying crooked kind of tears
The ones that stain your face
I didn't turn around to see if you did the same
I knew you didn't cry crooked kind of tears
You didn't do crooked kind of anything
You're too perfect for that
So I stopped trying
Stopped trying to be a crooked kind of person
A crooked kind of person around you