day 1
you come as new born
introduced to this world
by two people
who you will come to know
as strict yet loving
mom and dad

day 3650
you turn ten years old
as you start to learn
the ways of the older
you no longer revel
in the attention of the elder

day 6570
you're now celebrating
your eighteenth birthday
your parents stand aside
silently clapping as their minds
attempt to comprehend how much you have grown

day 9125
you stand in the altar
your mouth forms the words of "i do"
your mom sobs into your dad's chest
your now husband looks at you
with love and adoration
this is the start of your new life

day 10220
a cry rang through the air
it was the cry of a newborn
you felt what your parents felt
when they had you

day 16425
you stand before
the grave of your parents
and you thank them profusely
for the tender love and care
they have provided you all these years
as you promise to do the same
for your children

day 29565
you lie on the hospital bed
on the brink of life and death
as your life flashes through your head
you know you have done well
and there are no regrets
to this life
and you slip away
surrounded by your loved ones

the weight of a hand
resting in yours
the resistance to the touch of a single finger
upon another
the sizzle of a thousand hairs between fingertips
the dampness of breath upon your cheek
the redness of pair of lips
...or of a blushing forehead
...or of cheekbones under droplets of perspiration

the silence of an empty room
the sense of someone close
...who is a thousand miles away
...and thinking of you

I would've given birth
To you,
Endured whatever
Mothers do.
Instead, I did
What Dads do.

I rocked you
Til my future shook;
Watched you til
I couldn't look.
As you changed,
I changed too,
To do the things
That Dads do.

You were bathed,
Dressed and fed;
I loved you so much
I was saved.

If there's credit,
Well, I get it,
For teaching you to read.
I took the blame
When you got bored
With school's ABC's.

I followed you
In all your roles,
Your teams,
Your solos,
Your trips,
Your shows.
First to clap,
Last to sit;
I taped it all,
From start -
To finish.

I taught you
How to tie a lace,
Ride a bike,
Golf and skate.
When time arrived
For you to drive,
You learned
On standard,
Never stranded,
You came home alive.

Your highs
I took in stride,
By example taught
Humility's pride.
Your lows,
I couldn't internalize,
I dropped my guard
With my eyes.

When Dad's do well
It's a double edge,
The future wedge.
The world
Revealed
Desired you too.
I don't dismiss
What mothers do,
But when Dads do well,
Both lose you.

never teach English -
you’ll always end up gibberish*

1
the student wrote:
“Its find to one two tock to strainers
four eat wheel improof you’re languish”
but the teacher of English
patiently attempted to teach
the proper way it is written:
“It’s fine to want to talk to strangers
for it will improve your language”

but the student insisted:
“Its find to one two tock to strainers
four eat wheel improof you’re languish”
and the teacher persisted:
“It's fine to want to talk to strangers
for it will improve your language”


2
for months the teacher persisted
in spite of her trauma
(maybe it was her karma) -
and at last after six months
the student learned to write:
“It’s fine to want to talk to strangers
for it will improve your language”

So the teacher of English *succeeded

but now for years it is the teacher who writes:
*“Its find to one two tock to strainers
four eat wheel improof you’re languish”

always wanted a part
in a film
so I asked a director if he'd give me a break
and the director told me: "Break a leg"
and I thought he'd meant me to get
experience for a disaster movie
(sort of Stanislavsky's method acting)
so I did

but I never got a part;
the director just laughed and waved me away -
but at least I was in the cast for weeks

I pass by
leaving a lingering
Vapor trail
Of endless craving
My desire sweeps by
Like the salty ocean breeze

There you are
inhaling my presence
Filling your lungs
Holding your breath
Hoping this time
I'll stay forever

Yet you must breath
And you exhale
Happily knowing
You held on
A little longer
Than last