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Mar 2021 · 2.2k
the window seat
Lunar Mar 2021
And just like a picture frame
that holds a precious memory,
I looked at you through my car window,
Hoping you'll remember me.

That's what happens in photographs—
You're frozen in time.
And the next thing I knew,
I was saying goodbye.
goodbye, to the view. and goodbye, to you.

(j.m.)
Mar 2021 · 1.5k
you deserve it
Lunar Mar 2021
don't settle for less.
don't be subtle to want more.
I deserve those annual leaves and they deserve not to be wasted any longer.

(j.m.)
Lunar Nov 2020
Do I know
Who I am on my own
Before I've met
Any other I have known?
Who am I, as a person? Is there even a portion of me that isn't influenced by others, or made up of pieces of the people I've let into my life? I'm afraid I don't know who I am tonight.

Let me be myself and write a poem for me.

(j.m.)
Nov 2020 · 1.1k
the only sense
Lunar Nov 2020
I can't smell the blood,
I can't taste the tears,
I can't see the pain,
I can't hear my heart break.

I can only feel it.
I can't even think, and/so I don't even know why.

Feel better soon, self.

(j.m.)
Nov 2020 · 525
a day in an adventure
Lunar Nov 2020
Quick drive
Strong hands
Loud mind

Both you and me
Are as tired
As daytime

Old music
Slow mail
Aged wine

But you and I
Are as young
As tonight
for aeh, my constant for the past recents.

(j.m.)
Nov 2020 · 478
What can't my hands do?
Lunar Nov 2020
The veins on your arms
Remind me of crumpled paper
Which I hold on tight to,
Then loosen my grip,
Smoothing out the imperfect surface.

My eyes follow each string up your arm—
Untying the ribbon like opening a gift—
And back down again, to your fingertips.
My very own quiver
Like the tip of a quill pen.

I notice there are blanks to fill in,
And proceed to write my name
With my finger, onto your palm.
I write something longer,
And it doesn't tickle or bother you.

Then our little fingers wrestle:
it's a strong pinky promise.
We seal it with a swear of the hand,
And a handshake. We hold it in place,
Until our fingers are intertwined.

One more seal, with a kiss this time,
As I bring your hand up to my lips.
I won't let you go now.
This is how I write poetry
With my bare hands.
What can't my hands do, except to love you? I love you in this way: in images, in voice messages, in songs, in poetry, in waking and in sleeping. I love to want you and want to love you. If you give me your hand, does it mean you'll do the same?

to dearest aeh. feel better soon.

(j.m.)
Lunar Oct 2020
I could never count
the three words
for you.

It was always
just one, two, or four.
"Us," "What if,"
And "What could have been."
I don't know how to spell it, but I know how to spell your name.

(j.m.)
Oct 2020 · 637
what the ocean is made for
Lunar Oct 2020
Love is a tidal wave
that one alone
cannot brave.

Unless it's a boat for two,
then the ocean is made
for the both of you.
I wrote this for my friend's cousin's wedding.

(j.m.)
Lunar Oct 2020
"Does writing change you as a writer?"

"Yes it does, my voice turns into
the words inside your mind."

"But why can't I
remember you well?"

"Maybe you didn't keep the words
in your head."

"Even if I feel you enough?"

"Then you must've kept them
in your heart instead."
This is why I still write, to make sure I will be remembered—merely through my words.

(j.m.)
Oct 2020 · 481
2 + 1
Lunar Oct 2020
On days like these,
It isn't distance that
Keeps you away from me,
But time.
As I look at your life
Through images
And hear your voice
Through recordings,
I can't help but think
If you're real
In this world with me.
Three hours isn't that far ahead,
But slowly waiting for time
Is quickly making me miss you
Much more than I thought.
(j.m.)
Jun 2020 · 273
take me to stargaze
Lunar Jun 2020
I'll keep on looking up,
constantly stargazing.

Amidst a galaxy
of a thousand constellations,
amidst the darkest parts
of time and space—
a gentle twinkle whispered,
"Take me with you."

And so I did,
now I see it's coming
while I make a wish—
"Thank you for picking me,
to watch the birth of a star."

(j.m.)
Apr 2020 · 390
his eyes are the keys
Lunar Apr 2020
For others, the eyes
are the windows to one's soul.
But his eyes are the keys
that unlock the rabbit's hole.

I promised to be careful,
never falling for them;
but there is a wonderland,
found deep inside him.

From the outside,
a mysterious gaze, a cue—
as he stretched out his hand—
"Let me show you."
(j.m.)
Mar 2020 · 231
sea foam
Lunar Mar 2020
In the light
of the moon,
I slowly make
my way to you.

In the night
so black,
your soft voice
calls me back.

You gently dance
upon the waves,
to my fingertips,
but I can only gaze:

beyond the horizon,
I hear and see home
that isn't of land, but
in your arms of sea foam.
to SF. you're as cute as the sea foam I love to watch and listen to.

(j.m.)
Jan 2020 · 412
fisheye
Lunar Jan 2020
don't tell me
there are other
fish in the sea

when you're
the entire ocean
to me
goodbye, I'll let you go now. time for me to look at other things besides the fish in the water.

(j.m.)
Nov 2019 · 317
Untitled
Lunar Nov 2019
it was a blur.
your eyes wouldn't focus.
I heard you lost your film.
it took you a long time,
shooting away like a star.
but your gaze frames everything
touched by dark and light.
your heart knows no storage limit,
compared to those picture albums.
capture each scene,
in full color and clarity.
save it, remember it.
wait with the process.
your photograph has developed.
now it's clear.

photograph, he.
(j.m.)
to lee sangyeon. it's been 23 years so far. your eyes are the lens, your heart is the memory card, and you are the camera. take as many pictures, remember as many memories, and wait. your life—the photograph—is developing, and I enjoy looking through your picture album. thank you for giving me a chance to admire your photography.
Oct 2019 · 481
written
Lunar Oct 2019
I think,
it's time to go
back home on land.
I leave the waters,
step out of the blues,
before I could drown.

I sink,
each foot entirely
in the sand.
Rooted in place,
the fine grains
anchor me down.

I ink,
your name on
the back of my hand.
I know it well,
and tell my pages:
I love you now.
to lsy; sometimes on the beach, when the sand is warm and makes me yawn, i sleep. i know i can rest on land.

(j.m.)
Oct 2019 · 815
I want to see the day
Lunar Oct 2019
I'm always in a constant daze;
a haze of blues,
of sunset hues.

I'll keep dreaming for now;
of clouds in skies,
until I see the sunrise.
in a state of sleep, and only you can wake me up.

(j.m.)
Feb 2019 · 873
lost pearl, found girl
Lunar Feb 2019
washed ashore
onto the hands
of a man
I longed for, dearly.

rugged touch,
tarnished shine
and value,
treasured so merely.

back to home
seeking warmth
in the waters; on land
I was misguided, nearly.

then I knew
it was the sea
whom I belonged to
and who loved me so clearly.
dear lj, thank you for being my sea and finding me.

(j.m.)
Feb 2019 · 1.5k
eye lands
Lunar Feb 2019
looking into
your eyes,
i wouldn't think
of getting lost
in them.

instead,
your eyes
are a getaway
where i find myself.
to lj, your eyes are second home; a place i'd forever be a tourist in.

(j.m.)
Jan 2019 · 697
blue east
Lunar Jan 2019
Your clear eyes,
a sea of accumulated raindrops,
started to ripple
as I touched the surface.

In your depths I dived;
neither sinking nor losing air—
never drowning despite the rough waves
of unchartered waters.

With no fear of trenches
as deep as the Mariana's,
or fear of undercurrents
as mysterious as the Bermuda's,
I sought further to know
why I felt more familiar
in the water than on land.

Floating, swimming,
breathing underwater;
I stayed warm in your gaze,
in the calm of you.

I found myself at home
when I looked into your eyes.
For Joel/LJY, being 22 isn't so bad after all. And it only gets better from there. You once said the eyes are your favorite part of a person. I hope you know your eyes are my favorite, just like how I love the sea.

(j.m.)
Dec 2018 · 647
the first
Lunar Dec 2018
i could never listen to your voice;
my ears could never hallucinate.
i could never look at you for so long;
my eyes could never hold your gaze.
i could never measure your big hands;
my fingers and yours could never lace.
i could never be in your solid arms;
my hands—liquid—could never encircle your waist.

but i think i could be on your mind
and i could be written in your heart:
if you read the words that i write
when you pick up this poem and start.
to lj, an avid reader.

from j.m.
Dec 2018 · 1.2k
farewell to my youth
Lunar Dec 2018
for the last time
let me be a child again
as i cry over the innocence
that i will lose
once these tears have dried
for all those who are in the middle of growing up. it's hard; from falling in and out of love to fixing adult paperwork. and it's all normal.

(j.m.)
Nov 2018 · 870
when he smiled
Lunar Nov 2018
I fell in love
With a faceless boy
Who walked among the waves
And let his skin bathe in the moonlight.

But I could tell he was smiling.
That's when I fell in love.
for wjh

(j.m.)
Nov 2018 · 607
Pauline
Lunar Nov 2018
I know of a girl
With small hands
That write small letters,
But with a mind so wide
Like her arms opened
For a comforting embrace.
Few spoken words at first
That ring with cautious clarity
Then grows in depth and length.
Tiny capillaries that connect
To the biggest heart I've heard
Whose louder beats echo
From where she stays.
Little feet which will carry her
To a larger place some day.
Her name may mean "small,"
But she's so much more
than most of all.
To Ate Pau, thank you for everything in the past year and in our future years to come. I'll see you sooner than we know it.

(j.m.)
Lunar Aug 2018
you were in front of me
but i was always behind you
i've watched your back often this way
so close yet so far
i didn't expect you to take a step forward
every time i do
that you'll never be in reach
my hands and arms will ache
from stretching and waiting
distance won't even shorten between us
even if i was able to keep you close

but i forget such agonizing
because you'll always be near
as long as i hold you dear
and my words can reach you too.

for those who admire only from afar.

(j.m.)
Jul 2018 · 712
the truth
Lunar Jul 2018
it hurts.
but i'm fine
even if it was
a lie.
today feels much more blue than other days.
i remember how blue reminds me of you.

(j.m.)
Lunar Jul 2018
i am forever
stuck
in a flurry of words
while you hurry out
of my
book

and i realize
you
are not
a protagonist
i've made up
in my head and heart

i can only do so much
as to write about you
and make believe
that you were once
beside me
that i'm trying to read
a book that's incomplete

i lost my words
when
i
lost
you
i wish i could write about you forever. would that get you to stay, always?

(j.m.)
Jul 2018 · 1.2k
hourglasses and rainy days
Lunar Jul 2018
drops of rain dripping down
my window pane.
no matter how fast they fall,
they never seem to finish.
i wait, slowly and painfully.
i look again at my reflection
on the window.
those aren't raindrops.
now, for whom are these tears?
monsoon season is in, once again. i'm feeling many emotions, twice too many. i think raindrops are equal to the bits of falling sand in an hourglass.

(j.m.)
Jul 2018 · 1.0k
Lunar Lullabies
Lunar Jul 2018
Dear child,
Don't be afraid,
When the moon
Isn't up in the sky.
He's quiet but there,
Always aware,
Watching you
with loving eyes.

Dear child,
Don't be afraid,
When the moon
Isn't by your side.
He's silent but cares
For you who's so bare
In the dark
of lonely nights.

Dear child,
Don't be afraid,
When the moon
Is out of your sight.
With distance you wonder,
Yet your heart grows fonder,
Hence do you look forward
To living every night.
Dear Tamia, if astronauts can do it, then so can you. You will reach the fullest of moons. Don't be afraid, live your life like every day is a night, and happy birthday. Perhaps and truly, you are the moon, and I love you.

(j.m.)
Jul 2018 · 863
when people leave,
Lunar Jul 2018
the little things
that they do and say
come and stay
in their place.
To my university graduation batch of 2018. I remember everything.

(j.m.)
Jun 2018 · 782
the memories which i regret
Lunar Jun 2018
i don't regret
anything
i have done with you
but rather
i regret
everything
i have never done with you
because
my memories of you
are not made up
of what-had-been's
but of
what-could-have-been's
(j.m.)
Jun 2018 · 1.1k
the 22nd phase of the moon
Lunar Jun 2018
blocked by clouds
or invisible in the day
i'm content knowing
the moon is always
in the center of my frame

sea tides rise
and the constellations change
but i'm reassured to know
the moon has always
stayed the same

even when you're growing
and even as you age
i know i'm grateful because
the moon will always
be your name
happy 22nd, wjh. i'm beyond content, reassured, and grateful for knowing a soul like you exists.

(j.m.)
Lunar May 2018
the easiest and hardest thing
about falling in love
is being a writer
it's been almost three years of having feelings for jul. i told him in a letter that i used to like him. but now i feel like i've told the biggest lie ever to him; to myself. i wonder when will this end.

hey jul, i never regret falling for you.

(j.m.)
May 2018 · 7.8k
ill(us)ion
Lunar May 2018
He told me,
"You are a
coincidence
that looks like
destiny."

I told him,
"You are a
déjà vu
that looks like a
memory."

They told us,
"You are a
dream
that looked like
reality."
The quoted lines in the first stanza are the lyrics of one of my favorite songs, "First Time," by DAY6.

I have frequent déjà vus, which i always mistake for memories which are mine or i've been through. reality can get so confusing sometimes.

(j.m.)
Apr 2018 · 1.1k
if he can,
Lunar Apr 2018
i begged him
to stay
behind the screen
in my dreams
in these pages
in my life
even if he was
never really mine

because if he stepped out
and i was able to hold his hand
i know i'd have to let go
but i don't know if i can
more often than not, it's safer when it's not reality, so let's at least stay this way, wjh.

(j.m.)
Apr 2018 · 1.2k
a glass of you
Lunar Apr 2018
crashing:
              tear stains on the pillow
                               i imagine ocean waves

flowing:
              shadows on the wall
                                i imagine jet-black ink

dripping:
              raindrops on my window
                                i imagine foot steps

drowning:
             in a tall glass of water
                                i imagine you

all these happening:
             whenever i drink
                                 a glass of you
cheers again to wjh, for being the only tall glass of water i'll ever need. it's wine for you, and water for me.

(j.m.)

part ii of "a cup of you".
part i: https://hellopoetry.com/poem/2362220/a-cup-of-you/
Mar 2018 · 1.4k
golden
Lunar Mar 2018
these cold white floors
are never enough
to mirror the purity of your heart
or to capture your hands' warmth

the intricacy weaved on your clothes
and patterns drawn by your feet
can never compare to
the dancing heart you wear on your sleeve

so don't look down
every time you fall
but hold on to their arms
and firm words and calls

to yourself, you're imperfect
to me, you're emboldened:
you don't need to win gold
when you're already golden
to hanyu yuzuru for defending his olympic title in the men's figure skating. and to wen junhui for dancing his heart out (and for enjoying himself while ice skating today). to both performers for never giving up.

(j.m.)
Feb 2018 · 2.6k
a cup of you
Lunar Feb 2018
my fingers around the mug                        
                                    ­i imagine your neck
steam fogs over my glasses                        
                                       i imagine your breath
heat rushes to my face                                
                                         i imagine your warmth
a sip of hot green tea                                  
                                  i imagine your lips

all these mingling with mine
whenever i drink
a cup of you
to wjh. belated happy valentine's and happy chinese new year. although it was terrible for me drowning in academics, you sent a picture of yourself and instantly everything is brighter.
just like whenever i drink a cup of hot green tea.
cheers, it's been two years and a month with you.
(j.m.)
Jan 2018 · 7.0k
super blue blood moon
Lunar Jan 2018
have you ever wondered
why   am   i   always
f  a  s  c  i  n  a  t  e  d
with the phenomena
of     a    red and rare
l u n a r   e c l i p s e?

with every time we meet,
i turn red;
but with every time we part,
i don't turn blue.

rare doesn't mean
"once in a lifetime."
it only means that
you'll always return,
no matter how long it takes.

and i believe that
someday
for sure
again:
*i'll see you.
aren't we all fascinated with the things, events, and people which come rare?
it makes us cherish them well.

(j.m.)
Jan 2018 · 1.5k
sun, flow, her
Lunar Jan 2018
Light streams through the window,
Beckoning her to come out of the dim.
A spotlight on her blank canvas;
She was yearning to see him.

Oil, water and paint blend
With her blood, sweat and tears,
Slowly and agonizingly dripping
From her brush, brows and ears.

Then there he is, tall and bright;
A sun-kissed face dressed in a golden vase.
She painted his image in sunflowers:
He's her masterpiece no one can recreate.
to Sel.
Keep painting for them with love,
the same way they paint you with life.
I wrote this after the image of Van Gogh
painting his Sunflower series in my head!
Jan 2018 · 1.4k
Economics
Lunar Jan 2018
In this society
of souls from the millennium
Invigorated by validation
Drugged only skin-deep
With toxic actions and words
And prices ruling like
A silver-spoon-fed princess
The value of an individual
Plunges deep into the depths
Of the shallowest mirror-like pools

I can only sigh
As I sit in this new class
Alongside new faces
And the absence of the professor
I think of refunding my expensive tuition fee
When I pay my utmost attention
To everything around me
It was my first day of class for my final semester in uni, and apparently, the professor did not arrive. So i spent close to php500 today, in vain. What a life. I can only hope the professor is good enough that I'll be able to learn from them.

(j.m.)
Jan 2018 · 1.0k
The Distance of a Second
Lunar Jan 2018
I long to see you already,
Even if the time of our separation—
The distance of a second
Which felt like a lifetime—
Was so short.
I thought of how the verb "long" came to be, when we are missing someone right after parting with them.

(j.m.)
Jan 2018 · 1.7k
Duet in B-Major
Lunar Jan 2018
I've been pressing
The sustain pedal
To let the sound of us
Stay longer.

I didn't take note
That no matter how long
I held on to the right keys,
Or how perfect I read
The entire score,
Or how hard I stepped
On that pedal,

No sound emerged.
The piano wasn't just broken:
You weren't playing anymore.
No pianist would break their beloved instrument. Perhaps it was just a misunderstanding between the pianists. I portray a relationship (genetic, friendship, love) here as the instrument. The sound I explained is how a duet on the piano is.

(j.m.)
Jan 2018 · 826
Never
Lunar Jan 2018
You won't forget me,
Like the back of your hand.
You never truly will.
I assure you with everything I am.

Because I am the song you've never heard;
The book you've never read;
The painting you've never looked at;
The one you've never thought of in your head.

I am the sea you've never swam in,
Or the keys you've never played.
I am the star you've never wished upon,
Or the prayer you've never made.

I am the dawn you've never seen,
The pillow you've never had at night;
I am the door you've never opened;
The glasses you've never used for sight.

As I came to know and realize
You like the back of my hand;
Knowing you exist, in my eyes,
I assure you with everything I am:

I never truly will,
That I will never forget you too.
But you've never known me in the first place,
So it was never the same for you.
Never again, wjh.

(j.m.)
Jan 2018 · 762
his subject
Lunar Jan 2018
he doesn't talk much
but his eyes and hands do.
they do so well
that they speak even better
than i can.
i only wish i am the one
he looks at; he touches.
i only wish i am the one
he talks about.
in reality, you're always my subject, wjh

(j.m.)
Lunar Jan 2018
my favorite dance step of yours
is when your fingers
start to play the piano.

and because you,
who speaks little with strangers,
suddenly become the talk

of everyone
when you let your hands
speak for you.
i could write endlessly as long as wjh would play the piano endlessly

(j.m.)
Jan 2018 · 709
In Memory Of
Lunar Jan 2018
Do you think
I am immortalizing you too much?
Do you want to rest in peace?
My hands want to rest as well
But the heart never stops.
To me, the one grieving,
Nothing can ever replace you.
Not another person,
nor your favorite song.
Not a picture nor a place.
Not your sweater
nor your favorite weather.
Neither your favorite book with
the highlights of your favorite quotes,
nor the words
I speak of you.
Not even more time,
nor the memory of you.
Isn't writing about someone, unconsciously immortalizing them? We may not be as influential as the greatest classical writers but our words are just as powerful enough for those around us.

This poem is in memory of wjh, who's very much alive.

(j.m.)
Jan 2018 · 805
renaissance
Lunar Jan 2018
a princess, tired,
built castles, loved by people
and loved a prince
—all birthed from her words

an outcast, fallen,
as her words turn
into robbers of joy and
into daggers against her

a queen, revives,
to ascend the throne once again
pen as sword; heart as shield
written words are her armies
under her rough hands
i'll never give up on writing. i am back.
(j.m.)
Jan 2018 · 1.4k
past, perfect, tense
Lunar Jan 2018
I liked him; he liked me.
That’s the big problem: it’s all in the past
and nothing can be done
to conjugate the verbs
or change us at the present.
I'm not really writing from experience but I do love word play and poetry is limitless in expressing emotions. It's a good morning, as I eat my PB sandwich and write this.

(j.m.)
Jan 2018 · 8.0k
unknown stranger
Lunar Jan 2018
i want to know
how to unknow you
Tonight: I wish all of this, and all of some people, never happened. I am tired just for tonight.

(j.m.)
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