We shared backstories, dreams and before long
You've shared your soul and favorite songs
Our fingers intertwined with sounds
Flashbacks with music all around
Listening now leaves a taste of marvel and panic
Leaving me mortified yet ecstatic
Sad songs declare how happy we once were
Happy songs serenade that I'll be happy once more
Only this time with your absence
Hoping to be unreminded of your presence
Dear stranger with overwhelming memories
How can untainted songs, untouched melodies
Newfound hymns and all the same
Still carry your scent and whisper your name

I've always wanted to kiss
A stranger, if ever I could.
But, I made a vow to myself
A promise that I never would
Turns out, I already did.
I kissed you.
A man;
Whom I thought I knew.

We lived and breathed fallacy
An illusion that you were mine
A make-believe where I was the joke
While your love was the punch line

Clingy shades of trouble
Painful looking but pain free
Marking spaces on my skin
Where your lips used to be

Clingy shades of purple
Some temporary tattoo
Of unorganized design
A secret concealed by two

Clingy shades of couples
Proud but remaining unseen
Silent proofs of emotion
Traces of where you've been

Clingy shades of trouble
My all time favorite scar
Reminds of your presence
And the tale of what we are

Tied into twists and knots
To loosen up, it dared not
Looped and suffocated as it is
But it didn't begin like this
Gently intertwined then suddenly
It became tied and tangled tightly
Some knew this might happen
It was only a matter of when
Either the knots would loosen
Or the objects would end up broken
But it was unforeseen when it came
Unforeseen but hoped for the same
The winding knot that was strangled
Is now, untangled

Kung may isang daang tula
Mga tula para kay Stella
Mga tulang sinasaad at nilalathala
Ang puso at mga nadarama
Na nagmula sa isang binata

Isang emosyon, isang daang tula
Para sa kanyang tanging sinisinta
Nais ko ring magsulat, lumikha
Hindi isang daan, kundi isa
Isang may isang daang salita

Mga salitang sana'y sapat na
Hindi ko gustong sumobra pa
Kaya tanging hiling ko talaga
Na kasabay ng mga salita
Maubos na ang aking nadarama

Tinakdang bilang ay nalalapit na
Ngunit bakit iniisip parin kita
Isang daan na, tama na
Pagod na akong mahalin ka
Pagod na ako maging tanga

Before the explosion of rosy crimson
Before the shadows engulf the skies
It was this that painted the heavens
It's the color of the sun's loudest cry

Who knows?
Honestly nobody does
The path that lies ahead
Can make you alive or dead

Can make you alive or dead
Dead, living but stuck on the same place
Alive, struggling to overcome difficulties
Alive, someday defeating all adversaries

Yeah, the path ahead may be ideal
Bright, warm, promising and sunny
Straight, smooth and not winding
A bit boring but hey its soothing

Want the truth?
It's usually never like that
What's ahead can be dark and eerie
Gloomy, hopeless, twisty and thorny

Wow writer, so much for inspire
Shhhhhh, keep reading
It's not easy to make these rhyme
So spare me some patience and time

Yeah yeah, I know.
Rather than the happy smooth drive
You get the stormy seas and skies
Want to know why?

What lies ahead will be a soul crusher
Your heart might waver, vision may falter
Emotions would fluster, strength could shatter
You'll be lost and tired, rest but don't surrender

Afraid?
Who isn't?
Isn't it scarier to live never finding out
Regret of lacking bravery but having an abundance of doubts

Yes the path can be demotivating
And absolutely overwhelmingly terrifying
But have you ever seen unguarded treasure?
Something amazing lies ahead, I'm sure.

It won't be easy
I wish it was but it usually won't
It's alright to be afraid and uncertain
Rest, clear your thoughts, then fight again.

You'd never know what's at the end
Without taking that first step
And to be continuously walking
So rest if you're tired but keep going

It was burning, a fire so warm
A fire that lit, not scaldingly hot
It captivates, lures, and terrifies
It was something I knew not
Something I'd love to touch
But afraid to try and grasp
Something I'd wish to hold
But won't dare own and clasp
Familiar but somewhat new
I knew of fire, but not like this
Unaware if the fire was violent
Or whether a gentle kiss
If it rained flowers of blood
Or poured bloomed rosy petals
Whether it lit to tame and lure
Or to show impending pitfalls
A familiar fire I never knew
Will it burn or only illuminate
To strengthen or extinguish
How will i decide this fate?

In the duration
Of whatever we had
I only spoke of truth
From start till end

When I first said those words
Three words, fragile yet strong
When I said I'll stand by you
Whether right, lost, or wrong
When I said that I want you
Want you to be my future
When I said I forgive you
Regardless of all the torture
When I said I'll handle the pain
That I'll be strong enough for us
That we'll make it, endure it all
That we'll bet no matter the cost
When I said I'm willing to fight
To fight for us against all odds
That I won't let go that easily
I meant everything, real not frauds
You were so difficult to love
Lovable and oh so painful
For my first fluttering heart
And heartache, I am thankful

From the first I love you
That you've heard
And every thing in between
I meant every word
.
Then I lied
A lie to end the truth
A lie to release what's true
.
In the duration
Of whatever we had
I only spoke of truth
And told one lie

When I said I no longer love you
When I changed "love" to" loved"
When I bid a tearless goodbye
What I meant was I've had enough
When I said I no longer love you
I idiotically and honestly still do
But the truth that I couldn't say is
I no longer can nor do I want to

In the duration
Of whatever we had
I lied once
A lie to save myself

I took for granted
Something i once knew
A world of color, a mixture
Of beautiful shades and hues

I realize now how pretty it was
A world of color, now fading
Slowly being engulfed by gray
Water washing away its meaning

Everything is black and white now
Lifeless but easier to understand
I ran, panting, desperate for air
Exhausted and unable to stand

Winded, unable to pace myself
Frantically chasing, there it stood
Trying to hold it with my hand
I extended my arm as far as i could

Still not within my reach
I desperately move onward
Taking every step in the hope
Of finally reaping that reward

If roles were switched
It might even look funny
But it wasn't, so here I am
Smirking and laughing at me

Trying to breathe once more
I realized it way too late
That the world of color I love
Was something that I used to hate

That all I've been desperately chasing
Was a scenery beautifully unfinished
On a washed up battered canvas
Of lines previously drawn and cherished

Of the colors and hues painted once
Afterimages, of the picture we used to make
That I kept reminiscing in my dreams
And kept haunting me while I'm awake

You cradled me in your arms
Cuddling the moon away
With each ticking second gone
This is where I'd love to stay

You gave me your eyes
Your un-faltered gaze
The usual you
Vanquishing worries of my days

Messing up your weave
I played with your hair
You were just staring
Silently sitting there

Comfortable but still heavy
A moment of silence...
Lost all control, broke the breaks
Followed by a moment of weakness

You were my favorite kiss
I've felt the warmness from you
The softest I've ever encountered
The hardest to say goodbye to

Everyone held me in the same manner
Holding me with force and desperation
Held me as if begging me to stay
Clutching me without care nor consideration

Your hands were different
You were piecing my soul together
You held me unlike those before you
You held me in a way I've only now encountered

I've felt like the most fragile being
The most important glass in the universe
You were careful and gentle with force
As if frightened that I'd shatter

But you still tried so ever to hold me
In your hands, to keep me with you
For the longest time you possibly could
For the longest that time allowed you to

We could never be and we both knew
As we exchanged laughter, painful smiles
Inexplainable looks and unforgettable gazes
We did something wrong that felt right for a while

A bid of farewell
Exchanging apologies
I encrypted behind my smile
Words which you'll never hear from me

Words unheard but undoubtedly felt
Despite of your warnings, we both knew
Regardless of the distance you tried to maintain
I still carelessly fell for you

You are my favorite kiss
Twas the most wonderful
I've ever felt in a long time
Yet, the most painful

Ending without a beginning
Overwhelmed by what ifs that I'll never forget
With your back turned towards me
You became this favorite mistake that I'll never regret

It's an old saying that to know
Whether one's love is true
You must first have a sip
Of the coffee they will serve you

The coffee, cozy and warm
The blend should be right
The sweetness not heavy
The creaminess not too light

A cup full of warmth
The perfect cup of joe
A blend to suit only you
There's more to tell you though

The old saying is incomplete
They forgot to mention
They left something out
Something that we should've known

Like coffee, love can be too hot
Singeing and scalding its way
It can also be served cold or chilled
Iced coffee isn't that bad anyway

Though it can be bitter or too sweet
You might be lucky to get the best lineup
The perfect blend of coffee served
But you're not the only one with the same cup

The entire room was swallowed
With the intoxicating scent of coffee
Found on the old wooden table
Is your mug, the same but now empty

Habang nag-iisa
At walang kamalay-malay
Ako'y nadampot ng mga
Naghahanap ng karamay

Nayaya ng promotor
At hindi na makatatakas
Hinamon ng mga tomador
At nagkasukatan na ng angas

Marami nang bote ang walang laman
Nakabasag na rin ng mga baso
Paubos na ang mga pulutan
Amoy na rin ang halimuyak ng chiko

May di matapos-tapos na asaran
May mga pikon ngunit puno parin ng tawa
May mga tulog na at may nagkukulitan
Mayroon din namang nagkukwento ng paluha

Walang humpay rin ang kantahan
Punong-puno ang lamesa ng kwnetuhan
Rinig hanggang langit ang halakhakan
Tuloy-tuloy lang ang kasiyahan

Masayang salo-salo
Matibay na pagsasamahan
At ang highlight dito
Ay ang hangover kinabukasan

Sana'y king bilis mawala
Gaya ng hangover kinabukasan
Ang aking mga alaala
At ang sakit ng iyong paglisan

Smile through the tears
Look pain in the eye
Dance through the fire
Leave them wondering how and why

Aim for the galaxy
Claim the stars
Let the planets watch in awe
Make the sun envy your scars

As I ran out of air
And drowned in a sea
Which I've never known before
Starring in this unimpressive finale
I had this overwhelming
Unquenchable thirst
Desperate for a droplet
Preparing for the worst
Everyone's inability to hear
Matched with my absence
Of words to at least convey
To end this prolonged pretense
So I spoke with an unknown voice
And sang with an unheard tune
As if chanting spells and divinations
I created and casted my own rune
Surrounded by coldly fastidious eyes
I played and danced to a song
Which none has ever encountered
But felt and knew all along