Ode to the Party Girl

THE PARTY GIRL

Image Courtesy: master1305, Adobe Stock

Praise to neon lights

& new beginnings 

that start in bathroom mirrors 

lip gloss and last-minute fit checks 

laughter louder than the playlist 

the night, ours for the taking 

Cop cars posted up outside 

the club but we go in anyway 

because you only live as 

much as you let yourself

and joy is a risk worth taking

Club mix dialed up high 

as we jerk and bounce to the rhythm 

hips shaking, bodies serpentine 

sweat glistening like diamonds

arms raised in collective prayer

as we dance away our burdens 

Praise to the hustle 

to stumbling home at 3 yet 

still clocking in at 9 because 

bills don’t care how beautiful

the night was and 

the rent never leaves unfed 

Praise to the venue 

club, warehouse, abandoned mall

the where not mattering as much (if at all)

so long as the vibes are good 

so long as the music hits just right

so long as we fall in love at least once 

before the night is through

Praise to your friend’s friend’s back patio 

smoke rings and snapshots

cheap speakers crackling in the corner,

best friends sharing juicy secrets, 

lovers kissing under the string lights, 

all of us briefly believing

that this could last forever 

Praise to the protest 

paying respect to those

who fought so we could dance 

who carved out space for 

us to exist as we are 

who made joy an act of rebellion

who knew that freedom 

sometimes looks like music 

and bodies moving in harmony.

Praise to the party girl herself 

mascara tears that dry before sunrise

patron saint of glittered survival

she lives her life to the fullest,

turning late nights into lifelong memories,

forever making a cathedral out of the chaos 

Strike Out,

Orlando

Written by: Juju Gordon 

Edited by: Delaney Gunnell & Arsheeya Garg

This poem was written for Strike Magazine Orlando’s Issue 12: The Search For Identity. Check out the rest of the magazine and Juju’s work, available online now!