coffee and milk
sand and sea
night and stars
flowers and rain
you and i-
the perfect blend.

see me
the way i
see myself
with the waves of the sea
in my hair
and their song in my swaying hips
see me
the way i
see myself
with flowers growing
in my soul
see me
the way i
am

kiss me under the bougainvillea tree
let the leaves fall on our heads
as our lips hesitantly touch
and one pink leaf will land on your nose,
and our lips will curve into a rhyming smile

may you learn to be brave
and may you always run carefree,
certain of your worth and the power inside you.
may your song be your own,
and when your song is different from the rest,
sing louder.
may you never forget that you’ve always had wings,
and may they carry you far.

“you are so skinny.”
and beautiful.
and happy.
and full of life, with two stars instead of eyes.
but you can only say,
“you are so skinny.”
you only see my bones,
my thinner thighs.
but look at me.
see me.
see how my soul has grown so much it doesn’t fit in my body,
look at the light in my heart,
at the words written in my soul,
look beyond my skin.
look at me,
look at me and tell me
that my smile is brighter than the sun,
that i look happy,
that i've changed,
that i've blossomed.
there are so many things you could say
but you only say,
“you are so skinny.”

i don't want you to get lost
looking for me
i want to stand in the middle of your heart
to be the brightest star
i want you to see me
i don't want to hide

should You ever take my words away,
let me keep a few.
let me praise You in the morning,
let me say i love You.
let me number my days,
let me say thank You.