Looking for more in Scotland's Stories?

Club

Author: Harvey Humphrey

Please note: this piece contains strong language

When I talk about you I call us a club

like a kid excited to be in a gang

Not that I was in any gang as a kid

Awkward, left out, alone; Back then I didn’t fit

but these days I have people that embrace me

as I am they don’t care if I get it wrong

Tuesday: Club

Seeing Club in my calendar makes the day

releases the breath I didn’t know I held

The tension in my shoulders evaporates

anticipating the laughter that awaits

Life feels easier, all tasks less demanding

on a Club day I know I’ll see all of you

There are days I don’t speak to anybody

I don’t even hear the sound of my own voice

Unless I walk into the table again

My “oh shit” cuts the air more than passing pain

Calendar days marked Club change everything

I know the emptiness of this flat will fill

Boxes with your faces fill my laptop screen

and your words your voices your stories fill me

here I am replenished by your mere presence

Your casual reflections on your week’s events

Everyday stories of work, dogs, Netflix

Give something I didn’t know I was missing

But now I couldn’t imagine life without

Sometimes in the week you share pictures of life:

dogs, snow walks, funny graffiti, work places

but on Club days we share much more with faces

Community and friendship in your faces

Reflections of acceptance in your faces

This past year I see my life in your faces

Each week I’m so grateful to see your faces