Minsan mapapaisip ka na lang
kung ikaw ba ay nagkulang
o siya yung di lumaban.

Mapapaisip ka na lang
kung tama bang ikaw ang nahihirapan,
patuloy na lumalaban,
gulo’y subok na iniwasan,
upang di lang siya masaktan.

Mapapaisip ka na lang
kung kaya ka ba iniwan
kasi kahit gaano mo ipaglaban
— na lahat ng problema niya ikaw na pumapasan
umuuwi ka paring luhaan.

Tama ba na tratuhin ka ng ganito?
na parang laruan na pag sawa na sa iba,
ikaw naman ang gusto?

Tama ba na maramdaman mo
ang sakit na nasa iyong puso
kasi pinili mo siya
kahit alam ng utak mo
na di siya nakakatulong sayo?

Tama ba na sa dinami dami ng taong
araw araw na kumakausap sa’yo,
dito ka pa nahulog
sa taong di ka naman isasalo?

Ang dami kong sinasabi sa ibang tao
na maraming gago sa mundo
na di dapat sila papaloko.
Pero sa dulo din pala,
ako yung magmamahal ng tulad mo.

Pasalamat ka,
ako na yung nagparaya
siguro kasi di ko na rin kaya
lalo na’t nakita kitang may kasamang iba.

Tinago mo pa,
sinabi **** kaibigan mo lang siya
ngunit ang totoo pala,
pag di tayo magkasama
tumatakbo ka pabalik sa kanya.

Di na rin siguro ako magtataka
kung bakit mas pinili mo siya
baka dahil ang puso nyo’y nagtugma
o mas magaling lang siya sa kama.

Bakit nga ba ako nagpakatanga?
Nadaan mo nga lang ba ako sa iyong matatamis na salita,
mga pangakong di ko alam kung matutupad ba
o sadyang uhaw lang ako sa pagmamahal
kaya nung nakita mo ako’t nagpapakahangal
nasabi **** “pwede na ‘to, di rin naman ako tatagal.”  

Sinabi ng mga magulang ko
na lahat ng tao pinanganak ng may puso
na kailangan mo lang intindihin at mahalin
dahil sa dulo, pagmamahal niya’y iyong aanihin.

Pero akalain mo yun,
may mga tao palang tulad mo
na di mo alam kung wala ba siyang puso
o ipinaglihi sa demonyo.

Nakakatawa ka,
na lahat ng dugo, pawis, pati narin oras
sayo ko lahat nawaldas
buti sana kung nababalik mo ’to
pero wala, ginawa mo akong uto uto.

Isa kang patunay
na may mga taong
na kahit lahat ng pagmamahal sayo ay ibigay
nag hahanap ka parin sa iba
ng wala kang kamalay malay.

Ngayon,
tapos na ako.
Di ko kailangan ang isang tulad mo.

Sa lahat ng gago sa mundo,
ikaw pa ang pinili ko,
ikaw pa ang minahal ko,
ikaw pa ang pinagubusan ko ng oras ng ganito,
ikaw pa ang sumira sa’king utak at puso.

Pero salamat din sa’yo
dahil kung hindi sa pang-gagago mo
hindi ko mapapansin na ang pagmamahal di ko lang makukuha sa’yo
hindi ko mapapansin na marami rin palang masasama sa mundo
na ang gusto lamang ay makitang mawasak ang sarili ko.

Andami kong natutunan
di lang tungkol sa mga tulad mo
kundi pati na rin sa sarili ko:
na kaya ko palang magmahal ng ganito
na kaya ko palang lumaban ng husto
na kaya ko palang ibigay ang lahat pati narin aking puso.

Ngayong,
mag isa na ulit ako,
mas masaya na ako.

Kaya sa susunod na darating sa buhay ko,
tandaan mo
nagmahal ako ng gago
kaya ayusin mo ang buhay mo
kung ayaw **** sulatan kita ng ganito.

if ever

you don’t

feel

like you have a home,

pull me close,

wrap your arms around me,

rest your head on my chest,

close your eyes,

and feel the warmth of the fireplace

resonating from within my heart.

i loved to paint using your colour.

i’d go day and night, from one canvas to another, using different shades of you to paint all kinds of pictures.

i never lost any ideas.
i never had to find inspiration.
it all just comes to me whenever i look at you.

one day, i woke up colour blind. and unfortunately, it’s in your colour.

all the paintings, all the sketches, all the canvasses that were of your colour, plastered, hanged, and taped all over my walls doesn’t make sense anymore.

it was all grey. all dull. a colour i know existed but never really tried using before.

i tried searching for your colours in the things you’ve touched. the words you’ve said. i searched everywhere but whenever i do think your colour will come back, my eyes revert to reality.

now you’re just a memory.

your colour will only exist inside my mind.

those shades i loved. the pigments i crave to achieve every time i stroke my brush. it’s all in my head now.

it’s been years now. your colour isn’t as bright as i thought my memory would remind me of.

i paint with a different colour now.

actually, i paint with all the colours now except yours.

all those nights i spent painting, it’s with every colour i come across but yours.

now my wall’s full of colour again. all from different parts of me. colours i never knew existed.

now,

i’m happy. i’m content.

i’m colourful.

hindi ko alam saan magsisimula.
sa pagsulat ng ”tama na”,
sa paglakad sa kalsada,
o sa pagtipon ng mga tulad kong galit sa kanila.
saan ba ako magsisimula?

tama na. parang awa niyo na.
hindi ito tama, kaya tama na.
sa gitna ng mas malaking problema,
ito pa ang inyong inuna:
ang pagprotekta sa inyong mga buhay
na sadyang kay saya.

paano kami?
paano sila?
paano na ang mga taong lunod sa problema,
lunod sa sakuna?
hindi pa ba sapat ang paglunod niyo sa mga taong nagtangkang magsalita noon pa?

kung ako’y mawawala
dahil sa aking pagsalita,
sa aking paniniwala,
mga minamahal ko,
di bale nang ako ang mawala
kesa ang karapatan na dapat nasa atin pa.

di ko alam kung ako lang ang ganito
o marami ring taong nahihirapan ang emosyon ay ipagtanto.

nahihirapan isulat, ilagay sa kwaderno,
buhatin ang lapis, at gumawa ng mga letrang bubuo sa isang kantang ikaw lang nakakarinig.

isang kantang sumusigaw sa puso’t isipan
isang boses na nagsasabing “ako’y pakinggan.”
isang bugkos ng mga salita na di mo alam kung pag pinagtabi tabi mo na sa iyong papel
ay magkakaroon ng kahulugan.

oo.
madalas akong ganito.
na andaming gustong sabihin ng utak ko
pero ni bibig ko o ang kamay ko ay di alam kung paano ito ibubuo.

bakit ang dali magsulat?
pero ang emosyon, hirap na hirap ibuklat?

minsan,
nananalangin ako
na sana may taong lalapit dito
para turuan akong sabihin kung ano nasa utak ko.

ngunit kahit meron mang ganung tao,
alam ko di parin niya makukuha ang aking gusto.
dahil ang mga salita na galing sa utak ko,
na para sa akin ay kumakanta ng napakagandang musika
ay sa kanya naman, halos pareho, pero di gaanong tugma sa pagkanta.

kaya oo.
kahit hirap na hirap ako,
na sabihin sa lahat ang emosyong sinisigaw ng mga piyesa sa utak ko,
tuloy parin ako sa pagsulat kagaya nito.

dahil onti onti kong naiintindihan
na ang lungkot, saya, o mapa ano man,
ay iba iba ang kahulugan sa tao.

pero pare parehong ang dama ng nagagawa nito sa puso.

there are monsters everywhere.

no,

i’m not talking about
those under your bed,
those waiting for you in the dark,
those hanging on the branches of the trees,
those staring at you when you sleep,

no.

not those monsters.

i’m talking about
those who destroy your good mood,
those who bring you down in every mistake you make,
those who always look for a flaw in whatever you do,
those who make you feel sorry for ever being here.

those monsters.

but just like the monsters you imagine

— they are all in your head.

you can ignore them
and see that those monsters,
are ever so small;
so easy to trample,
so easy to destroy.

as i finally swim back up
from holding
my breath underwater
for so long,

i say goodbye
to
regret,
sadness,
pain,
and suffering.

i feel the sun’s
warm kiss upon my
cold, soaked up skin.

as i breathe my first air
after a long time,

i say hello
to
beginnings,
happiness,
healing,

and the beauty
of life.

i don’t think
it’s possible
to unlove you

— and i don’t have any complaints.

i’ll just love myself more
until i forget
what it means to
not have someone around

and focus on having
myself around — present at all times.

you ever wonder
how your
demons
— the ones
you see
clear
as day —
look back at you?

a blur.

i wish
i could forget
your zodiac sign
so i wouldn’t have
to read yours
after i read mine.

you’re not

unworthy

of love.

they weren’t

just worthy

of yours.

sinabi mo sa akin mahal mo ako
naniwala ako.

sinabi mo sa akin ako lang
naniwala ako.

sinabi mo sa akin, habang hawak ang kamay ko,
na “nandito lang ako.”
humawak ako nang mahigpit
at naniwala ako.

sinabi mo sa akin habang ako’y yakap mo
na di ka bibitaw na kahit kailan
maasahan ko ang pagbalot ng iyong mga kamay sa aking katawan
yung tipong lahat ng lamig sa mundo
mga problemang di ko ginusto
mawawala na lang sa init ng katawan mo.
oo, naniwala ako.

sinabi mo sa akin na ako lang
na hinding hindi ka titingin sa iba
sa parehong paraan ng pagtingin mo sa akin
at naniwala ako.

at naniwala ako.

naniwala ako at ipinangako ko sa sarili ko
na simula nang sinabi mo na mahal mo ako
wala nang mas gaganda pa sa paningin ko kung hindi ang mukha mo.

ang mukha ****
sa ngiti palang na naniwala akong pwede palang maging masaya
sa mata palang na naniwala akong nakita na kita — nahanap ko na.
sa bawat pisngi **** naniwala akong may paglalagyan pala ng mga labi kong uhaw sa halik.

naniwala ako sa lahat.

naniwala ako sayo.

may mga oras din namang nagduda ako.
sa bawat away
sa mga masasamang salitang nabitawan
sa kada luhang pumapatak sa ating mga mata
sa mga di pagkakaintindihan
sa mga muntik nating pagbitaw.

naniwala pa rin ako.

naniwala ako sayo.

pero di ko inakala
na ang tiwala
ay dahan dahan din palang nawawala.

isang kandilang ilang minuto na lang
apoy nito mawawala.

kahit ilang beses kong sinabi sayo
na ako’y di mawawala.
na ako’y nandito lang wala ng iba.
na ako’y naniwala
sa iyong salita,
sa iyong ganda,
sa iyong lahat na.

kahit na tayo’y magkasama
ang puso mo nasa iba na.

naniwala ako mahal mo ako.
pero ako lang pala ang ganito.

sinabi mo sa akin
tapos na tayo
naniwala ako.
na wala ako.

wala na ako sa puso mo.

memories
of our every
phonecall
are etched in views
i stare
and smile at.

if i get the chance
to write a letter to say goodbye,
i’ll probably leave it blank
— don’t ask me why.

if i get the chance
to collect all our pictures
and put it in a collage,
i’ll probably not do it all
— again, don’t ask me why.

if i get the chance
to see you one last time:
hold you again and kiss you goodbye,
i’ll probably take it
but turn around at the last second
with my head down as i cry.

don’t ask me why.

don’t ask me why
i’ll waste all these chances
to say farewell,
because our love ended
and it didn’t end well.

don’t ask me why
i’ll give in to my sadness
when we could’ve had saved this
because
even if i tried to give my best
it’ll just end up the same;
a big old mess.

don’t ask me why
i’d rather leave than stay,
why i choose to walk away,
because all i’ll probably say is:
we tried
but love ran away.

close your eyes
and listen
to your favorite song.

close your eyes
and listen
to the sound of your mom
preparing your breakfast.

close your eyes
and listen
as the gentle wind comes inside your room
and gently blows on your face.

close your eyes
and just listen
to everything
but your problems;
to all the little things
that makes you smile
and not worry
about the problems in your life.

close your eyes
and breathe.

i stopped hoping things will be okay.

i stopped looking at the clouds wondering what could have happened if things didn’t happen this way.

i stopped reading words that tell me life is a cold hard ***** and it was teaching me that i shouldn’t go astray.

i stopped listening to the sound of rain, crying every time i feel my sadness should go away.

i stopped listening to people that begged me to look the other way, forget, and just be happy, be gay.

i stopped learning what it means if i had the choice to stay.

i stopped letting my demons cloud my mind — at least i have the strength to keep them at bay.

i stopped hoping things will be okay.

and it’s okay,

because i realized, all that had happened will come to pass and all these things will be gone one day.

so, from now on, instead of hoping,
i’ll work hard everyday

to make myself happy.
it’s my choice, be it as it may.

don’t

orbit

around me

my love.

even if

we’re two

separate planets —

i’d still

love you

just as much.

no matter

how painful

everything

was for you.

keep

pushing

forward.

love the uncertainty,

be excited of the unknown,

challenge life

to throw everything against you.

after all,

you were able

to pull through

before.

now

you’re much

stronger

to push through it all.

the sun touches my skin
warming everything
except for my heart;
dear moon, it’s yours to take.

nothing like
cigarettes
and skin care
in the morning

i stopped writing.

not because i don’t want to.

it’s because i couldn’t.

i couldn’t bear the fact that i would have to feel pain and sadness all over again to write something only a few people would understand.

i couldn’t find the exact words. the right sentence. the perfect way to say the emotion i want to show, ending up saying more than the thought itself.

i couldn’t face an empty screen with the line continuously blinking as if begging me to release the letters out of it — teasing it constantly knowing i would just stare at it and close my phone afterwards.

i couldn’t find the right moment to write. and when i thought it was, i just end up thinking about all my “i couldn’t”s never finishing anything i write.

it’s so easy to say, “just write. it’ll come to you soon enough” but little do those people know it’s as hard as it gets.

one day, i write something amazing. amazing to me at least. and the next day, you don’t write anything at all — scared to create a new one that’ll forget the existence of the previous one.

i stopped writing.

but i keep imagining.

writing on my head but never putting them into words. locking them up as safe as possible inside my head where only i could reach. only i could appreciate. only i could admire.

i keep them.

and if one day,

if i get the strength to stop saying “i couldn’t”

i know it’ll all make sense.

but for now,

i’ll have to stop writing.

there are poetries

meant to be read,

there are poetries

meant to be spoken,

but all poetries

are meant to be felt.

it’s funny
how i keep on searching
for the way
to unlock
my creativity,

turns out
that the
key
to it
was
a shard of my broken heart.

should i keep holding
onto that piece,
leaving my heart
with a little hole?

to keep writing?

to keep expressing?

will this be an addiction?

will i have to
keep breaking
to get more of myself?

or
am i just
ignoring the fact
that my heart,
if once whole again,
if i had that piece glued back to where it should be,

will open me to more possibilities?

will my whole heart signify a greater key?

i wonder as i wander.

‪you broke my heart‬
‪multiple times ‬
‪it turned to dust;‬
‪to ashes.‬

‪i scatter them‬
‪unto the sea‬
‪which i formed ‬
‪using my tears‬

‪slowly adding‬
‪more sand‬
‪to the shore.‬

it’s the silence.

           the quiet.

the stillness of the atmosphere.
the silent buzzing,
ringing sound in your ears.

           it’s              

           everything in
           nothingness
           that screams:

the whispers of your past,

the calmness of now,

the mystery of your
future.

           listen.

listen to the quiet as it scream words

your ears cannot hear,

           but your heart
           and mind could
           feel.

i’ve tangled with a lot of bodies
after we ended.

i’ve knotted myself with different hearts
pretentiously knowing that this pain i’ve felt could be mended.

i’ve scrambled those ties in my hands and how easy it was for me to un-knot them.

one knot comes in, after a few days, weeks, or sometimes but not often, months, slowly it detangles itself and i leave untangled, unbroken, as if nothing went past these lines on my heart, my body, my lips, like it didn’t happen at all.

i thought those messy tangles i put myself into would be as hard as when we had to untangle ourselves — or just me, i guess — from the oh so short but very sweet time we’ve had together.

but, i was wrong.

i wasn’t left untangled,
i wasn’t unbroken.

i still had a little not, tied in between my heart, body, and lips, which i try so hard not to notice by putting myself out there, messing my own lines up till i catch someone who ends up letting go afterwards.

to you,

we’ve already part ways,

to me,

you barely left.

i wish you could untangle this knot you left.
i wish you could mess with mine again, and probably leave a bigger knot — so obvious that i’d give up trying to fix it.
i wish to see how your soft hands would carefully untie, over then under then pull and stretch, this knot and maybe i could finally figure out that it was so easy that i didn’t even need your help.

but you’re gone.

and i have to accept that.

it’ll take time before this untangles by itself so i’ll just let it be for awhile.

and when someone does come not only to tie their heart with mine,
but also untangle what you had left behind,
then i’ll be fine,
and know that now’s my time.

minsan,
mapapaisip ka na lang
kung tama bang bumitaw ka
sa isang taong di sayo susuko.

minsan,
mapapaisip ka na lang
kung tama bang umalis ka
sa relasyong alam **** ikakasira mo.

minsan,
mapapaisip ka na lang
kung tama bang nawala ka
sa mundong ibinigay niya sayo.

andaming minsan
na pumapasok sa utak mo
pero,

madalas
mapapaisip ka na lang
na tama yung ginawa mo
kasi kailangan **** unahin
sarili mo.

im starting to realize
that love wears a different mask
every time it comes into our lives
teaching us a lesson
and then leaves
— and im okay with that.

but sometimes,
in the most rarest occasion,
love decides to wear the same mask
this time, not to leave
but to stay
— and you'll welcome
love with open arms.

you’re not an
episode
worth skipping.

you’re a
series
worth bingeing.

dear you,

how are you? i hope things are doing great for you now. these past few weeks have been a mess i thought i could handle on my own.

i’m doing okay. i’m going out with my friends, been talking more often with my family — like you said i should, and i’m learning about myself more and more each day.

i’ve been trying to move on from you, you know? it’s really hard. probably because everything was still fresh. so far, everyday, i think about you, what you did, what we did, how it started and how it ended.

i’ve been asking myself lately, could i have saved what we had left? was i just an escape? i have so many questions now that you’re gone and i have no means to talk to you.

i’m confused, really. i still want you but every time i remember the good times we had, i remember the pain too. don’t worry though, i have already forgiven you. it’s just a matter of time before i finally forgive myself — for blaming myself with what had happened.

i’ve been watching a lot of shows lately. i avoid the sad ones, but whenever a scene comes where one inevitably cries, i cry too and then all of a sudden, the longing comes back and then i get sad again.

it’s been a tough week for me. but i know i’m going to pull through this. i keep saying that i won’t wait for you but i guess that’s just my brain talking trying to cancel out what my heart wants.

i know we’re better of this way. i know this isn’t a fairytale where suddenly, after i have cried for a long time, the tears will form a wave strong enough to send you back to me.

i know i’m better on my own. i really do. but i miss being with you more.

i do hope i get to move on from you. maybe it’ll take a year? or even more? but i know soon enough i will.

i just hope that when you do come back, you don’t find me anymore. that you already have someone you call your own. that you’ll realize the love we had was superficial or perhaps temporary.

because if you do find me, no matter how much i’ve moved on from this, i’ll probably go back to your arms and cry because i really missed you.

i still regret giving my heart to you. i regret ever falling in love with your eyes, your smile, your hands. i regret ever opening up because i really thought we could have the love we’ve always wanted ever since.

i guess i’ll be alone for awhile. i guess i’ll love another person and know more about love. i guess i’ll just slowly bring myself up and be happy on my own.

i wish you’d come back. i wish love will still be there to bring us back together.

but for now, i wish love would find another means to make me happy without you.

i hope to see you soon. because i know by then, we’ll both have a lot of things to talk about. a lot of stories to tell, jokes to laugh at and other stuff.

i wish you well.