The prophet who
walked upon us and
healed the sick
has forgotten about
the roof with the
bullet hole

I pray to a God whose existence
is beyond me
I kneel before the tortured
cross
I wipe tears of blood
and yearn for
the crucifixion

I keep on looking for you

                               in my past life

finding

             only remnants

of an

                                             unrequited existence

It seems that the words
I've used to create a painting
has been bound by a time
that I no longer wish to reconcile
The painting, beautifully saturated
is nothing but a mere mirage
that I met in the beauty of your
summer heat

hawakan ang
namumutlang
bulaklak
at ibahagi
ang
lungkot
na dinaranas nito

yakapin
ang mga
dahong
nakakalimot na
at
halikan ang sarili
gamit ang
mga labing
puno
ng
ala-ala't pagdududa

Translation:

hold onto this
pale flower
and share
stories of its sadness

embrace
the leaves
that have forgotten
and kiss thyself
with
lips
full of
memories and doubts

Maybe in the future
you'll tell them
about that
sad
girl
you
met
and wonder where
she is now
Maybe you'll tell them
about
a
kiss
you never knew
Or
a
hug
you never met
Maybe you'll tell them
about the beauty
that
was
never
there

The unseen beauty that you have held onto so greatly has been used as a scale for my misfortune

Untangle the hay
that got into your hair
Remove the splinters
that dug under your skin
Slowly pull out the
gun given to you
Aim it in the air
Count to 10
And maybe a bird
won't pass by

Let the rain wash over my sadness and baptize me with a pain so foreign that I'd mistake it as an angel's kiss

The person you look at in the mirror
Is the person who seeks pleasure
A pleasure derived only from the applause that your smile brings
Or the awes that your voice rings
The person you look at in the mirror
Is the person who sees horror
Horror in the truth of the self
And horror that you've put in the darkest crevice of your bookshelf
The person you look at in the mirror
Is the person you've so successfully hidden in the back drawer
With a key you've swallowed
And a sign that says "not allowed"
The person you look at in the mirror
Is the person you find so hard to conquer
You've read all the books
You've watched all the movies
You've drawn every sword from every rock
You've opened all the doors with the impossible locks
You've bitten all the apples offered by a lady who sings of love
You've given up everything you have for what's above
You've scoured the earth for eternal youth
You've flown with the lost boys to know the happiness of a child
But, you have yet to truly see the beast in the magic mirror before the final rose petal falls

Just when I started to feel okay
Your words came along and took that all away
Your words were knives to my chest
They've put my motivation and happiness to rest

When I die

bury me with those whom i do not know

let strangers be my family

spread my ashes somewhere unfamiliar to me

for what i know

what i've been

and where i've been has led me to my death

let me be in a place

where death does not know of me

Lend me your ears
Hear me when I cry out to you.
Open up yourself and listen to my silent sadness
Let me breathe upon what was known of our solace
Let me cry tears of acid that slice through my face like uncut diamonds
Look at me and see the beauty of my sorrow, embrace it and let it be yours.
Look how your eyes yearn for mine
Look how close you wish our skins touched
Feel your heart beating ever so slowly and deeply, reaching out to mine until they are in sync
Listen to the bareness of this
The vulnerability of our beings
Cradle this moment, care for it as if it were as fragile as our intertwined souls are
Keep this moment and bury it deep, 6-feet under. Keep it there until bones are only left, until it rattles, keep it there until there is nothing but ash. A memory lingering, sadness escaping, you within the center of it all. Let it wash you, let it baptize your soul, let the ashes burn the screen for you to see what is true
Live in the moment to see what is truly
Let the fire burn, let the heat shower you like the wind, let it be everywhere. Around you, within you. Let it be you.