Rian Smith

The Coldest Place

the world is a cold place

wet fingertips putting out candles

dimming the light on your potential

electricity fritz,

our humanities circuitry has been tampered with

often i feel alone

6 billion people on this ball of dirt ,

why does it often feel like we have no one?


we record tragedies for retweets

we scroll pass cries for help

"girl, he didn't even like my new picture",

what about real life?

what about eye contact?

what about hand holding?

what about saying "i love you"?

have we forgotten what reality feels like?

or is it too hard to face it?


we hide behind profiles and screens

we can only compute emojis

we don't talk anymore

"lol, just send a text, whatchu being extra for"

do not send that text.

be human just for one second

it feels good, i promise.


talk to that stranger

they most likely will not bite.

give out compliments to random people

"you look so beautiful today"

the flowers outside are just as pretty

as the ones on your macbook's wallpaper


the breeze is more than just a poetic metaphor

you can feel it, just go outside.

the weather is nice,

and generally so are people.

being mean is not an aesthetic

you don't have to be cool

you don't have to be cold

there's warmth within us all,

a small flame still flickers in you

just stop suffocating it.