it was a few days after new years
which from our viewpoint
meant that we were entering the next part of the year
that the beginning had ended
and the climax was beginning
the holiday season was just over
but the real holiday season was coming
and the snow was falling down
in thick white sheets
covering the mountains
making them look considerably more inviting
but it was never about the snow
or the mountains
it was about us
it was about how once every week
as night began to fall
we would all come together
as a team
and nobody else thought of us as a team
they thought of us as just a group
even a clique
but we were a team
because a group is just near
but we were close
and we weren't a clique
because we felt real camaraderie
we would sit in those bright red chairs
about 20 of us crammed
at a table built for about 10
and talk
and laugh
for real
and then we would go our separate ways for a while
but we would always rejoin again once it was over
and those nights where we sat next to each other
on the ride home
were some of the best nights i've ever had
because i got to talk to you
i got to talk to you
and not your facade
not your mask of confidence
when we talked our masks shattered
which was a relief for both of us
because if you wear a mask for too long
the kind that covers your entire face
save for the eyeholes
it becomes harder to breathe
and once our masks were off
we would laugh
because we were actually the real kind of happy
it was never about the snow
or the mountains
it was about us
at least thats what i always thought
