I went out last night to meet Maddie in the west Village. My makeup was pretty crazy. It always is. But it was especially good last night.

I showed up at the bar and said hi to Maddie. She introduced me to her boss.

💁🏼‍♀️: Vene, this is my boss, D

💁🏻‍♀️: Hi, D, I’m Vene

💁🏻‍♂️: Hi, I’m Eric *extends hand to shake*

💁🏻‍♀️: Uh…

Eric was really pretty. A late 80’s yuppie with bangs that grazed brown eyes. I almost shook his hand. I was a bit thunderstruck. But not enough to start talking to a total stranger. Maddie started talking and I turned to listen. And then he disappeared.

And now I’m obsessed by love at first sight. Not with Eric. That happened so fast I feel like I imagined it. But it was this weird feeling. I’ve only seen it in movies. Like when Romeo and Juliet first meet. Not entirely true. I once fell in love with someone at first sight. Do I dare invoke his name when all I do is try and forget him? No. I’m not that bold tonight.

I want to write something that captures this. Maybe send it out into the world and watch it manifest like so many other things I’ve invoked out of thin air. But maybe this is beyond even my capacity to create.

I’m listening to Linda Ronstadt and sitting beneath my window, facing the Eastern night sky. “Somewhere Out There.” A little love drunk. If not with a person, then with the hope of one who one day could be a person to just me.

Somewhere out there
Beneath the pale moonlight
Someone’s thinking of me
And loving me tonight

Somewhere out there
Someone’s saying a prayer
That we’ll find one another
In that big somewhere out there

And even though I know how very far apart we are
It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star
And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby
It helps to think we’re sleeping underneath the same big sky

Somewhere out there
If love can see us through
Then we’ll be together
Somewhere out there
Out where dreams come true