.
•they'd               
come at night•               
these footsteps are               
never light• always                    
heavy and running ar-                      
ound•...they are annoy-                        
ingly creepy..., these aw-                       
ful sounds•every night,                          
after eleven without                        
fail•into rooms,                        

us they would                        
tail• making a                        
din overhead                        
•when all                        
                         should
                        be quiet inste-
                         ad•like barefooted
                          children i would ***-
                          ume...•wandering and
                          exploring into every ro-
                           om•...could they come
                            wilfully•from the cou-
                                ple who live above
                            me•i very much

                             doubt so•bec-
                             ause this much
                             i know...•that
                             the neigh-

bour up-                    
stairs, they're                        
old•frail and meek;                            
never bold•they'd re-                            
tire early•after late, ne-                            
ver a party•now... there                            
the feet go again•drivi-                            
ng me almost insane•                            
on my ceiling now,                            
they're pacing•                        

they know i kn-                        
ow and they are                        
playing•these                        
invisible                        
                        feet•ne-
                        ver would we
                            meet•one thing for
                           sure•this is not a friv-
                            olous tour•determined
                            to tell•that they exist
                              as well•nothing i'm
                               certain but it is clear
                               •i think they really
                              like it here...•

                              •i don't think
                               they're leavi-
                              ng•they're
                 ­              bent on


staying...•

She looked more alive
dangling from the edge
than she ever had resting
in the lap of luxury.

It's hard to
forget
and let go,
I know.
But when you do
You'll
forget
the things
*You're supposed to.

How did I get here?
Wait, I can't see
Anyone there? Hello?
Wait, I can't move!
What happened!?
All I wanted was to play basketball
How did it end up like this?

Life is like a box
You're inside
Concealed from light
You learn to live in the darkness
The sounds that your heard
Gave you light
Light of hope that precedes truth
Acceptance of change is a struggle
You have to learn again

But I didn't falter

It all happened in a flash
I didn't know my condition could lead to this
Darkness within with no light to breath
I cried infinitely hoping I could see again
But there's still no light

Only in dreams were my paradise
Faces of mom & dad
My siblings being bullied by me as always
Playing lead guitar on stage in front of thousands
Andy singing:
"We follow the morning star
A light where darkness trailed
The passion left unholy
Now you find yourself!"

Music helps me breathe
The tune flowing through my veins
Like blood streaming to my heart
Giving me light
Pumping everytime
Reminding me, there's still hope

I don't know how long I can live with the darkness
Not being able to move
Reliance to my parents who never gave up on me
A burden i see myself to those I hold dear
But they keep telling me
"We will never give up on you!"

And so,
I tell myself

*I will live life to the fullest
Even in this world of darkness
I will take flight
I will pull through
I will try my best to open this box
Until I see the light

It’s not easy when I was five
It’s not easy to grasp everything
Learning these new ‘signs’
So others would empathize
Demoralized only to be scrutinized
Wondering why they always laughed
I never knew how it sounds like
But it hurts me deep inside

It’s not easy when I was ten
They wrote on the board
How I always pretend
I keep smiling despite everything
I did pretend
Pretending tomorrow
Everything will end

It’s not easy when I was fifteen
Almost everyone doesn't comprehend
These hands I use to eat & speak
I can read their lips saying,
"FREAK, FREAK, FREAK!!!"
But this time I didn't pretend
Mama always told me before she left
"Your voice is louder than the rest!"

It’s easier now that I’m twenty
It actually gets better if I believe
I found true friends along the way
They get furious if I get played
Diminishing negative thoughts to dust
I know now life has its eminence
There are more others like me

What my mama meant before she left
Help those who are in need
Especially to those who are-
*Special like me.