I feel a bug crawling all over me
maybe I got it during our picnic
it crawled on me right when you cracked that joke
and made me laugh so hard that nothing could ever worry me
it latched onto me and caught a ride home
now everywhere I go, I feel it crawling
under my clothes, all over my arms and legs
I can’t seem to shake it away
when I feel it crawl near my ankle, I try to shake it off
when I feel it crawl on my neck, I try to smack it
when I feel it crawl on my hand, I can never seem to see it
I’m always too slow for the bug
when we run through the grass together,
when you pull me close with your arms around my neck,
when you kiss me while holding my hand,
I feel like the bug is there once again
maybe the bug isn’t real
I’ve never even spotted it
but it must be real
why else would I feel you crawling all over me?

This is a poem about falling in love in the spring, where the nervousness and butterfly-feelings people feel when in love are symbolized as the feeling of a little bug crawling all over the speaker. This piece is composed by Honors freshman Maura Conley. In celebration of National Poetry Month, “186 South College” has been posting the work of Honors students weekly throughout the month of April and May as bonus content. If you or someone you know would like to share their work as a guest writer like Maura, we are still accepting submissions at this link.