OPIA
(noun) the ambiguous intensity of looking someone in the eye, which can feel simultaneously invasive and vulnerable.
Squishy, gelatinous spheres shoved into craniums.
Slimy, frantic movements and oddly fragile.
Window to the soul, my ass
Since when did we decide these squelchy,
goo-covered blobs become a thing of so much discomfort?
Sitting in class,
orbs burning holes in the back of our heads.
“Like jeez okay!”
The non-verbal assault was felt!
Words oozing out of mouths,
Moist, wobbling globs slide side to side,
Slrrk…Slrrk…Slrrk
refusing to greet their kind.
“Rude!”
But then,
in those rare instances,
when those shuddering, slime balls find another…
everything else fades away.
and it’s just us…
and i feel e v e r y t h i n g
every unspoken hush,
every synced beat of our hearts,
the rush of blood in our ears.
But of course, those skinless slop-sacs decide to splurt away!
“Awkwaaaard…”
Yeah…
window to the souls? Eh, not so much.
I prefer:
Moist,
wobbling,
shuddering,
squishy,
gelatinous,
squelchy,
goo-covered slime blobs shoved into craniums.
Chetveer Kaur Sangha
Grade: 12 / CEGEP I
Mississauga Secondary School
Mississauga, ON
“During an online search for poetry prompts, I found myself drawn to peculiar words that have profound meaning. So, I decided to turn that into a prompt of my own. I take a word, define it, and then put my own twist on it. For the term "opia" I wanted to describe the feeling of eye contact in the way it truly is awkward, slightly disturbing and occasionally intimate. I believe the best way for me to get that message through was with satire and graphic imagery to get the picture I was painting though to the reader.”
Bio
Chetveer Kaur Sangha is a Grade 12 student from Brampton. She enjoys reading, knitting, and playing tennis or badminton when the weather allows. Much of her work explores current issues, discrimination focused on the Sikh community, and the teenage experience: topics she feels deserve more attention and open discussion.