i understood how gatsby felt

I'm awful sure

i never liked that damned book; 

i always rushed through chapters

so i could read anything else 

before the bell rang.

But when I open the windows nowadays 

to replace my air with something else

i understand everything he was searching for.

Bright lights alien from saltwater 

peaking out from neighborly gates

gleaning my eyes through brambles on the east side

all i do is reflect over where i went wrong

and how hard it has been 

to navigate rich waters-

cracked spine, dog eared-

back to page one.