He says that he's leaving..
And that it wasn't my fault.
I'm trying not to cry and yet his face is beaming,
He's hiding something in that vault.

He'll be gone for a year...
Where? I don't know.
Wherever it is, he'll be there and I'll be here.
He's really antsy, he really wants to go.

Thousands of miles apart,
He'll forget me and yet...
He will always have my heart.

my legs are closed now
so it's all through to you

you say:
what a night
you're fantastic
well
that was fun
while it lasted

I say:
oh yeah
well
go on now
get gone

but despite my efforts
to deny it
to hide it

my young heart
is ripped open,
in two
because
it's through

wondering your answers
to the questions
left behind
in my mind

what's your middle name?
where do you take proper girls
on a first date?
am i just a flake,
full of hate?

do you have a favorite
cursive letter?
if you loved someone,
when would you tell her?

how will you make a living?
(certainly not by drinking)

does your mother know you're
a lying lush?
do you know that you're
a lousy ****?

will you remember me?
i hope to forget you soon
although it's doubtful
but i have to
to get my soul full
again

wondering the answers
until I indulge once more
and my heart is torn
into 4, then 8
until it disintegrates

I say:
go on
get gone
don't make
me late

Paintbrush and paints
can make empty canvas
               change its identity

elders carry stories
of themselves foaming
at the mouth
like rabid dogs

like the language they spoke
was *****.

Nuns with sharp rulers,
sharply ruled the catholic schools

No choice, but to
submit and Americanize
with cheeseburgers and denim

lonely tears for home
   missing the
  gentle breeze of pine and juniper trees

while forgotten brothers and sisters hang with
touchy pastors whose love for Christ
told them to be quiet.

A simple poem is like a caterpillar
On a leaf.

The poem starts growing
Until a butterfly is complete.

Then bright coloured wings take to flight
All God's work for our delight.

The birds have returned
And peace emerges
In the form of a dove.
Life on the rise again
Children living normal
Lives once more
Playing in fields
Like they did before.
The deadly dark cloud
Replaced by bright sunny skies
Erasing memories of the past
Painting the world with new colours
The rising tide of hope
Washes away the fear of war.