it’s been awhile since i’ve last spoken.
they said they liked my voice
and my innate stride through life.
when the turmoil trembles
and the tribulations teeter,
they say look up and hear the preacher
with words of wisdom
cry out in prose.
but nowadays, ever since i was pricked by a rose,
my songbird tones have died down
because the chirping atmosphere
no longer motivates me.
i used to have so many words to say
but i locked them up because they were too precious—
too rare.
i grieve for my lost voice,
but it can always come back.
for now i hum myself a lullaby
someday i’ll be ready again to share my words.

I always thought brains were like fingerprints.
I always thought that the way we think is unique.
But then I found out that some thoughts were the same.

I always thought, "No, it's different."
But there was somehow a link between us.
I just hoped it was all coincidence so that it could be explained away.
I didn't want to fall into the same pattern again.

Unfortunately, I am.
Now, I'll have to hope you're not thinking the same things I am.
But I secretly hope you are, but knowing you and you knowing me,
we'd probably say nothing or do anything.

I'm just doomed, but it's fine.
We always say it's fine.

Writing daydreams,
Wandering mind.
Brand new car smell,
Pristine wrapping.
Feelings and sensations
Bridge the analogies.
They go hand in hand.

Dear Mr. Postman,

I wonder what it's like when you see the bills.
Do you feel the urge to pay them?
Or when you see college letters,
do you feel anxious to know the decision?
When we get adverts,
do you judge us?
When you see the handwritten cards,
do you also feel the sense of home?

I know you have other homes to mail,
other cubbies to fill,
but if you looked a little closer,
maybe you'll see the life of our family unfolding before your very eyes.

I forget that they switch who gets Postman for the day.
There must be a secret meeting where everyone calls dibs on which street each person gets.
I hope that you always vote to fill our street, just so you could say hi to box again.
But I can only wish for such a thing.
I want your name to always be Damian,
but the truth is it changes from Mark to Steven,
from Dana to Christine,
and from Taylor to Lennon.

Goodbye Mr. Postman,
stop by the house one day.

I Broke English
I’m trying to get better at it,
I swear I am.
I’m trying to reach my full potential,
But right now I have a fool’s potential.
It’s the only abstract thing you can break
Besides love.
And that is—
English.
My parents have broken English.
But did they have to pay for it?
Is English a vase with a price tag?
I thought that was called China for a reason?
Was English a mishandled shipment
With the label “fragile” on it?
Is English a person whose feelings have been hurt?
I thought that’s why there are therapists for him or her?

Anyways, my mom once asked me,
“How come read and read look the same?
But read and red sound the same?”
And my dad asked,
“Why is it pronounced lie-in,
Instead of lie-on?”
I always hear the saying, “I put the emphasis on the wrong syllable,”
But really, who here determines such things?

I always hear the question “Can I use the bathroom?”
Only to be hit back with “I don’t know, can you?”
Well, guess what.
May I tell you a secret?
I don’t really care, I just need to use it.

Heck, we need math to solve English.
Do we derive the root from the word?
And finally get an origin?
This plays an integral part
In our English.

People use it around the world!
Instead of hearing Bonjour! Or Hola!
We get
Hey! Hello! What’s up!
Because French isn’t universal
We don’t get to hear
“Je ne parle pas en francais”
And same for Spanish
We don’t hear
“Yo no hablo espanol”
But instead, we hear around the world
“I don’t speak very good English”
I speak
Broken
English.

Much like my broken brain
I can’t piece it together
How this dang jigsaw puzzle
Works altogether.

It’s difficult to speak in these words
Without tripping up.
Trust me it was hard to memorize,
I swear, I was all caught up
In the moment of knowing these letters.
But I didn’t take into account
The meaning of grammar—
It’s a nail that’s hard to hammer
The meaning of pronunciation—
I don’t know, can you hear my enunciation
The meaning of punctuation—
Maybe I can put an exclamation?
Or make it a question!

I finally figured out what English is.
It’s a law that I’ve broken several times
But can get away with it
Because I was born with the proper accent and the language.

Why go through all the Trouble
When there’s an Out?
It may be painful, no Doubt
But there is only double.
Yet this pain is no gain
With the decision that is made.
I have to wear a mask for every task
That is laid before me,
Leaving the hoard
Oblivious to the board
Of Deeds done to hide the Truth.
Goodbye, Love, I’ve finished the List.

O’er looking your life from above,
Not as high as the clouds,
Not as chaotic as the bounds,
But just as that dove.
Sometimes glances were exchanged,
As if I were there.
I’d touch your hair with my eyes’ range
Only to find your hand
Yearning to escape
My love of sand.
-And down it crumbles along the beach of fictitious bliss