How to be silenced
with your own words?
Write in someone else's voice.

Young little bud
with thorns they ache.
You bleed life
in order to grow.
I know it hurts
to keep yourself closed
when you just want to bloom
like the rest of them
and you can't cause pain
as much as you can feel it
when you remain wreathed in a shrub
and pose in a bright color
while everything happens inside of you.
You may think there's something wrong with you
because you don't get picked by people
but not all seeds sprout right after sowing
and you may not see the sunlight yet
but at least you can feel the morning dew
and the world has yet to see you
and you have all the world to see
so take your time
and keep your stem long
for even the seasons will wait
however long it takes
for a young little bud to unfold.

I am nowhere lately
Pacing in the city
Closing my eyes
Seeing a desert
Sitting in a cave
Then I'm gone

I am nothing lately
No sound
No feeling
Like embracing the wind
Like thinking you can touch a cloud
Knowing it's just smoke

I am endless lately
Just floating
Slowly dissolving
Now scattered
Are these parts still mine?
Who am I now?

A weak sigh
slowly closing the front door
careful not to get the attention
of hushed cement walls

A held out blow
gently casting wishes
carrying seeds of promises
from a dandelion

A casual whiff of cigarette smoke
lost in the traffic
between blaring car horns
and pedestrian talk

A dancing whistle
bouncing on saucers
hovering in the water
sliding on the sink

A voiceless whisper
echoing in a church
the angels and saints
suddenly are all ears

A long-distance yawn
deep-diving into the unconscious
reaching out to another world
in the heart of the mind

An unremarkable breath
may just be the tail of our souls
peeping through our mouths          
even though the eyes are the windows

Like his Mother Nature,
Forest is full of life and magic.
He is the keeper and protector
of all of God's creatures.

With roots for feet and tree trunks for limbs,
he towers over all;
and feels everything
that moves in his soil.

He has eagle wings to fly over the mountains
and owl eyes to watch over the night,
that when humans come to visit,
they get lost in wonder and awe.

On the other side, there is River;
who is pure and powerful.
She heals and restores life
in all of God's creatures.

She flows to the seas and oceans
and fills three-fourths of the Earth
and half the human body
to nourish the world.

She brings calmness and peace,
like how the Forest provides an oasis;
and together, they hold the secret
to our blue and green planet.

You have your hair
to represent your pain;
to show off and hide at the same time,
which you can dye in every color
and grow as long as you like
or cut it short and paint it black
when it gets too much.

You have ears to keep secrets
and a mouth to share truth.

You have memories for feet
to keep you on the ground
and dreams for eyes
to see clearly and openly.

You have your mistakes as your backbone
to support and keep you in line
and twelve pairs of ribs
that form a cage for all the fears
you want to keep inside.

You have hands made of solid passion
with creativity on your fingers
and care in your palms.

You have lungs that respire freedom
and vocal cords that make music.

You've the Earth as your mind
which may not have all the answers
but breeds life anyway,
and a heart that pumps love into it
to make all the difference in the world.

You have bones made of calcified purpose
to let you stand strong
for everything you believe in.

You have the universe in your blood
and it goes way back
to the dawn of time,
seeping through your flesh,
connecting all the people
you have been and yet to be

You have humanity in your soul
and divinity in your body.
Everything is in you
but the best thing about you is
you.

And the last grain of sand
fell on the heap
at the bottom of the hourglass... time's up;
but suddenly
I have all the time in the world.