You should all buy Arjun Basu’s book Squishy. LOOK! It has a cheerleader on it.
I’m ordering mine in a few weeks time. Wheee!
To jeer, or not to jeer, that is the question:
Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer
the jumps and claps of outrageous fortune,
Or to take poms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them: To die, to sleep
no more; and by a sleep, to say we end
the heart-ache, and the thousand natural stunts
that lycra is heir to? ‘Tis a collision
devoutly to be wished. To die to sleep,
To sleep, perchance to Dream; Ay, there’s the pep,
For in that sleep of death, what dreams may come,
When we have cartwheeled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause.
Head Cheerleader: “Jackie, in light of you showing up tonight with your boyfriend…
who by the way is totally cool and a fox…
I’d like to invite you to rejoin the cheer squad!”
Jackie: “Really”
HC: “Yeah”
Jackie: “YEAH”
[they jump, clap and hug]
Jackie: “Huh, no I don’t think I wanna be a cheerleader any more.”
HC: “But we hugged and jumped?”
Jackie: “Well, I I’m gonna have to take back that hug and jump with a pout and a shrug.”
It’s okay, I’m moving on to something better.
Unless…
What if it doesn’t get any better? What if this, where I am now, is the best it’s ever gonna be?
You meet people who go on and on about their ‘glory days’ before they.. got fat.. or married the wrong person.. or picked the wrong career.
The point where everything changes.
One day I might look back on this night talking to a total stranger and realise these were my glory days and I don’t get any more.
“
since i met you
this small town hasn’t got room
for my big feelings
violently happy
‘cause i love you
violently happy
but you’re not here
violently happy
come calm me down
before i get into trouble
i tip-toe down to the shore
stand by the ocean
make it roar at me
and i roar back
violently happy
‘cause i love you
violently happy
but you’re not here
violently happy
overemotional
violently happy
i’ll get into trouble
real soon
if you don’t get here
baby
violently happy
‘cause i love you
violently happy
i’m aiming too high
violently happy
it will get me into trouble
violently happy
i’m driving my car
too fast
with ecstatic music on
violently happy
i’m getting too drunk
violently happy
i’m daring people
to jump off roofs with me
only you
can calm me down
i’m aiming too high
soothe me
I now have my Jeerio name. Super appropriate.
