Things to Do at the Pinewood

Stone Canoe/May 2022

You could, of course, drink beer, maybe a toasted almond, a sex on the beach.

You could feel cool being known by the bartenders or the bouncers. You could see

friends from your classes or other dorms. Fist bump. High five. Maybe even a peck on

the cheek.

You could bum a Marlboro Light and inhale, strain your formerly pristine lungs.

You could pick “Maggie May” by Rod Stewart on the jukebox. You could stand with your roommates in a circle. You could scream the words to “New York New York,”  arm-in-arm with your fellow barmates, strangers. You could think these were the best nights of your life and almost believe it.

You could be ignored by guys and feel bad. You could be the annoying sidekick to your beautiful roommate. You could tell yourself you don’t care. You could hope a guy will buy you a drink. You could kiss some guy from your English class who never spoke to you before.

You could kiss an old guy, because old guys hang out at the Pinewood.

You could be ditched by the so-called friend who begged you to come out even though you had an exam the next day.  You could have a long involved conversation with another girl on the bathroom line and say, Promise we’ll be friends for life? Promise? Promise? You could force a stranger to make that promise.  You could regard your blurry face in the dirty mirror above the sink and try to fix your smudged eyeliner. You could tuck your hair behind your ear and miss your ear and laugh.

You could find yourself alone in the crowd.

You could allow your mind to wander, above the noise, the music, think about better places. You could promise yourself to never come back to the Pinewood again. You could keep that promise.