a dandelion flew
after a gentle breeze
blows by…
boldly gentle
that it went unnoticed
by people passing by…
Take a walk
Life gets heavy sometimes
you feel a weight in your bones
that you just can‘t shake off…
The dusts in your closet hide
books you dare not sit on your shelf
and the secrets keep piling up,
your room reeks of a dying wish
to come out of here as alive as you can.
tabula rasa
How to Start a Week Right?
it’s Monday, the lamp is burning
the window is half open, more light
it’s morning, I had a sleepless night
the early birds are already singing
it’s Monday, I drag my mind awake
the startled neurons beg for sleep
it’s morning, I have promises to keep
the beckoning night of dream is fake
it’s Monday, I’ve to convince this body
the hours need not be wasted ahead
it’s morning, and gloomy, and cloudy
the spirit is willing, but I’m still in bed
“But I have promises to keep, / And miles to go before I sleep, / And miles to go before I sleep.”
-Robert Frost, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
“Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
-Mark 14:38, The Holy Bible NLT
Between the lines
as my ink bleeds, read
as my thoughts pour, drink
as my words come, take heed
as my heart throbs, listen
as my tears flow, feel
as my hands reach, heal
Between the lines,
I love you dear.
me on Judgment Day
The child in me sucks up to the earth
as dreams and youth cling like coffee stains on teeth
The actress in me outgrows her need of an audience
embracing the spotlight even as the curtain falls
The mother in me is showing her children the door
with sweaty palms refusing to wave goodbye
The ghosts in me are hushed but ever restless
like grocery store shoppers in line to pay the bill
*untitled
When you look me in the eye
what do you see?
Do you see a daughter
who is teachable and good?
This isn’t all of me yet.
When you look me in the eye
what do you see?
Do you see a sister
who cares and is cared?
This isn’t all of me yet.
When you look me in the eye
what do you see?
Do you see a friend
who tries to understand?
This isn’t all of me yet.
When you look me in the eye
what do you see?
Do you see me changing
and painfully evolving?
And yet,
This isn’t all of me yet.
Closet Diaries (poem #3)
Let me tell you something about belts
I am used to wearing one, and I own
a brown belt, leather belt, black belt.
To me a belt is a symbol of power
like how father whipped us into telling truths
and how mother held her silence like a crown, then she started wearing one too
And my sister wears a belt
we fight over belts, among other clothes
In high school, I repurposed a necktie for a belt.
and I felt more empowered when a classmate did the same
Belts are awesome,
but I wonder
now that I’m thirty and thinking of maybe starting a family someday
if I’m going to use it’s superpower and would it work the same?
Closet Diaries (poem #2)
I have a sweater
that I got from a mother
who works hard to feed the family
It’s got holes now, and a little faded
But I cannot get the courage to wear it
like the smiles I got from strangers
they so pretty but I keep them
in my closet.
Closet Diaries (poem#1)
Is it weird?
if I tell you,
I want you to hurt me.
I want a pain that is mine,
and not secondary…
Please don’t get me wrong
I love secondary stuff—
that hand-me-down dress
my sister used to wear
so gracefully;
the boxer shorts that used to be my father’s
made me feel like I’m a fighter;
that sexy lingerie from the thrift shop,
I liked them.
They make me wonder
what stories they went through
to arrive at my closet.
🙂
maxjemin 