Under chandeliers and songs that swayed the night,
we dressed in dreams, all glowing in soft light.
Laughter danced through every photo booth smile,
while time, though fleeting, paused for a while.
Faces I’ve known, all polished and bright,
spun on the floor in shimmer and light.
A thousand flashes, a thousand cheers,
but quietly, I held back tears.
Then you, in silver-grey, quietly lit,
in a suit that made stars jealous a bit.
You laughed with your friends, lost in your space,
while I watched gently, a step out of place.
And just as the night began to close,
with buses humming and tired shows,
the unexpected, something I wished in quiet,
was handed to me in that soft, still riot.
“Let’s take a photo,” my friends had said.
And I followed, cheeks warm, heart full of thread.
Red lights from the bus painted the air,
as I walked to you in slow motion, aware.
You stood, searching, waiting with calm.
Your eyes met mine, no rush, no qualm.
I stood by your side, not daring to meet
the gaze I had long found steady and sweet.
No racing pulse, no dizzy spell,
just peace, like knowing someone well.
Not fireworks loud, but a quiet delight,
a stillness that made everything right.
I smiled at the lens, but inside I knew
that this moment would carry me through.
For though it was simple, it meant so much.
the nearness, the photo, the warmth of your touch.
And later, on roads lit dim and wide,
I found silent tears I couldn’t hide.
Not from sadness, perhaps from grace,
of knowing time is hard to chase.
The school, the halls, the days we knew,
will soon dissolve like morning dew.
But that night, before the curtains fall,
you made magic out of my last ball.
Antonette Salazar, Year 13
