I am done telling lies
the outer shell is thicker
than the broken bulb inside

the light is out
the heart is dead

the thin film only holds itself high
the dead inner ignored and unburied

the locked, glorious empire emboldened with gold and silver
adorned with the flowers grown from the Garden of Eden
within the lingering scent blended with the thrilling chirping of the bird

the haggard man in the darkest corners of LA's scariest
trying to breathe despite the strong odor of ***
licking the burnt part of the cinnamon roll dropped accidentally from a red coat's pocket
only possession being a rusty old key from his father years back

the secret palace: the new buzz in Hollywood, New York
billionaires spending millions looking for this key
a peculiar shape, indeed, impossible to mold
just one key, the world is upturned

the man, living on months-old underwear and torn coat
broke, tired, poor, hungry
until a red coat offers him something else,
a hand, a place to stay, and a day's meal

red coat, lives in the ghetto
still with a roof, a table,  and a book
the red coat is happy with the minimum wage at Burger King

In return for the kindness
the man gives the red coat a key
not much, just to show gratitude
***** and rusty
a peculiar shape indeed...

I was the one who received the faithful letter from Mr. Darcy
I was the one who held Holden when he cried
I was the one who Guy Montague thought was beautiful
I was the one who Heathcliff came back to the Wuthering Heights for
I was the one who Mr. Rochester tried to illegally marry
I was the one who D'Artagnan grieved over after the abduction
I was the one who Captain Wentworth fell back in love with
I was the one who Dorian Gray actually cared for
I was the one who Candide brought the gold for in El Dorado
I was the one who Winston Smith kissed in that attic
I was the one who cried when they all left me with a silent flipping of a page

Maybe one day

everyone here-
torn
happy
broken
worried
thinking
thoughtless
angry
emotio­nal-

can get together

we bonded through the internet and the technology

but perhaps one day

we can be more than the poem we liked
a picture on the profile
or a compliment we gave

maybe one day
we can see each other face to face
and become a bit more than a mere stranger
because a poem says more than we can ever say to anyone else
it reveals your inner soul
because each comment has a thought of its own

there has to be some stigma that brought you here
depression
anorexia
loneliness
sadness
felicity

the truth is I don't know your story
but I promise I will tell you mine
when you tell me yours.

there are beautiful people
those who are easy on the eyes
for a moment we all fall in love
for that single eye contact we are all happy sailors
over the moon and the stars

yet they never last too long
just that forever of a second

there are kind people
those who give everything and more for the sake of others
who share when they are starving
who smile when their world has fallen apart

yet they are abused
people take advantage of them and stomp on their fragile hearts
and leave them broken

there are brave people
standing for justice, for law, for happiness
they perish everything

yet they are dead
the cause they have lived for only turns
into the ashes and dust
cadaver 6ft underground

there are dreamers
they say but never do
they think but never reach

they live and die content
unknown geniuses the world has missed

the world is cruel
yet the beauty, kindness, bravery, and genius still do exist
yes they do

the only problem is that these qualities
are poisoned by the very human nature that longs for them to exist

For a moment, let's reset our society

VIctoria Secret Models are chubbier,
shorter than 5ft.
and don't have those golden locks with shimmering eyes
nor the perfect skin nor smiles

Yellow and crooked teeth are to be admired upon
chapped lips and no make up is the ideal beauty

McDonald's sells the most exquisite burgers
while Fogo De Chao is frowned upon

Harvard and those Ivy Leagues are
safety schools
and the community colleges have
an impossible admission of 70%
UNBELIEVABLE, RIGHT??

that gardeners and janitors were respected
as the kings of the world
and government and the congress are
to be denied, devalued, and made fun of.

now open your eyes
and hear the cars
and turn on the tv
and smell everything

which one would  you rather prefer???

IF,
All of a sudden,
   you feel lonesome in a crowd of people on the New Years day at Times Square
     you feel that chill crawl up your neck to your eyes on warm summer day
             you suddenly feel scared, afraid, and cold
                      You feel UNWORTHY, UNLOVED, NEGLECTED, IGNORED, SCARED

                 Then,
can
                   we
be
.....................................................
friends?