It works that way
I cannot write about someone
Unless I have felt a certain way
Unless there it is
The potential
I can no longer be without them.

I let time pass
Which I never do
Once I am inspired
I will write on the spot
Under any circumstance

On my brown skin with a marker
On the back of this flyer
Even on the magazine cover
That belongs to the hair parlor.

I think of you fondly
But my wont to write
Never comes out ardently
The paper still blank
Though I let months turn things around.

Writing is my sole indicator
If not on paper,
It will not last in time either.

Twenty-one days,
They say,
Only twenty-one days
Til a new habit
Has a face ;
Kicking the one out
They wish to replace.

I can and I will,
I have
Worn change
As a second skin.

Twenty-one days,
They say,
Rather a lifetime,
If I may.

For true smokers hate quitting
Who are we kidding –
No switch for a cigarette lit ;

A new regime
To be a little more fit,
Ending cravings that will never leave

With alternatives.

We persevere.
Like an alcoholic giving up the bottle ;
Not taking a drink will always be a battle.

Twenty-one days,
They say,
Forever, if I may.

I love my bad habits ;
Glory is in continuing

(to quit).

She was,
She used to be,

I still startle

There will no longer be
Any new memories.

I look up
When the skies cry
When there is not a cloud in sight

I talk about her in the past tense now.

Eye on my arm
God squeezes my heart,

I remember the feel
Of toying with her
Sagging skin
’Til mine ages,
I will beam at my ink.

I talk about her in the past tense now.

On nights I cry,
On fine nights
I burst with life,

She cradles my heart.

There is only a few
Whom you can call
Faithful and true;

Beyond borders and time,
Beyond distance,
Your words and mine,
Beyond our actions,
What differentiates us,
And what unites us,
All walks of life narrow down
To one single point,

Having you in my life.

It is often said
That nothing lasts,
The unimaginable happens
And the unbreakable can fall apart.
But when I look at us,
Recurrently get the chance
To become so overwhelmed
By the power of love, trust and friendship
I know
- Into eternity, I glance.

Maybe she loves too easily
Yet she means it when she says it
Her heart on the table
For the person to devour it.

Maybe she loves too easily
She should see how things will evolve
Before flying, one has to first learn
How to crawl.

Maybe she gives herself entirely
That she should protect herself
So she will not be deceived
So briskly.

Maybe she gives herself entirely
And she should not unless she wants
To slowly sparge the pieces
Of yet another shattered heart.


    She gives her love too easily
    But when the ones she adores
    make it worth it
    It overrules
    All other times
    She ended up sobbing like a fool
    The only way to live
    To give is to receive
    She chooses easily
    Over carefully,
    Her heart
    For the taking.

I had been feeling a little off lately,
It must be because of this strange melody.
Hearing it once sent an arrow through my heart,
The purest form of pain transformed into art.

A song that was written in a different era,
Each rendition of it revives the trauma.
Words you utter send shivers down my spine,
Between love and pain lies but a fine line.

Ensorcelled by this haunting melody,
No other song has had this effect on me.
I'm trembling inside in awe of your voice,
Hanging to every emotion as if I had no choice.

Blues is playing one note and it grabs you,
Music that is so honest it unglues you.
Cannot listen without a knot it my stomach,
The purest form of pain stuck in my heart.

It is how I am
When I am here
It is what I hum
When I grab the music
It is who I struggle to be
Someone completely free
The one I always imagined
I could be
In a dream
And in reality

The city reads
My thoughts
What I desire
And what I fought

Here is Berlin
The one and unique
Where I can write
My uncut story.

You run,
Chasing after none
There is no fear in your momentum,
Not a bitter thought once fallen.
Your memories are new
At thirty-two, I have made a few.

You will run,
Chasing after some.
There will be fear in your momentum
Many bitter thoughts once fallen.
Your memories are new
How could I forget, mine are too.

If it had never happened
Would I have eventually
Ended up here?
A safe haven
Daydream feelings
Knowing exactly who I am
And where I am going

Encircled by the people
I cannot go on a day
Without thinking about;
Living in a city
I adorn and that I
Will not ever leave behind

Weary of explaining myself
I still work on embracing myself
The journey I have set in
Losing it, finding it,
Exploring still, my inkling

Never losing, always winning

If it never happened
My writing would be different
But as of now
Every tingling in my body says
Me, myself and I are happy
Maybe things happen, unluckily
Yet I learned to make the things
I want
Happen eventually.

I would write your name on a piece of paper
Add little hearts and a whole lot of color
Then, the mere thought of you was enough for me
I would get a hello; my heart raced quickly.

Beauty of young love lies in its purity
Ephemeral, untainted eternally
A time when possibilities were endless
Love seemed simple - and the heart knew nothing less.

Once older, bruised from a crushed romance or more
Left space for cynicism to take over
And I wonder if it can happen again
Could I love like I have never been in pain?

Innocence of young love is indelible
Now, even forgot the mirth to just giggle
Would like to think there's naivete like before
Love is simple - and this heart knows it for sure.

Even my coffee needs a pep talk,

For I feel no relief when the
caffeine kicks in.

I know the tools
Time heals;
Not all wounds
Are bad memories to ****.

Yet I go to war defeated
Escape in the world of dreams,
Only to wake up even more
drained.

Time heals, they say, but how
much time — when it seems
infinite.

Switched off the router today,
Waited a few seconds
Maybe my energy will start
blinking
again.

Not yet,
Dear friend.

Be patient,
The sun has not set.

My coffee just kicked in, and I can
still write a poem.

Today, I am saying yes
Today, I am saying I will
Today, All that I ever was
I am taking along with us.

I will bring home dessert
Even when you do not ask me
I will tell you the story
When you are not sharing it with me.

In the morning, I will continue talking
Even if you do not answer
Until you have had your coffee;
And in the evening, so tired,
You will hug me
While I am already sleeping.

It is not a lifetime I promise
But a routine we will cherish
It is not a lifetime I promise
But a routine we both wish

I will take your quirks and talents
I will embrace your light and darkness

Today I am saying yes
To the past, to now,
To our future, I vow.

I will not love you til the day I die
I will love you every day we live our lives.

Today we say we do
Today we say forever;
And I am yours,
Just the same, a little more each day;
Long after.

You would love that I run back to you
Put my heart on the table for you
Those are efforts I made in the past
It's not my fault you gave up so fast
You know I would have gone the distance
And that's what I did; went the distance
Now I care more about the weather
Than your troubles and your desires
I stopped caring the moment you left
Picked the right way instead of the left
Made it clear that I was hit and miss
Every time I blamed myself for this
Never thought you'd make me feel so low
A waste dwelling on my hurt ego
But all of those obsessions abate
There's always an expiration date
Now, you still take those things for granted
While all along, I was devoted.
Don't dare say the choice is up to me
Crawling back's not a possibility.

It shouldn't be this difficult
I feel like I have joined a cult
And they say I cannot get out
They'll chase for me if I head south.

I'm sitting in a crowded space
I really need a change of pace
I got to break free from worry
Rethink responsibility.

I tend to talk in enigma
People cannot stand the drama
I cannot clarify the spiel
Only a few get what's the deal.

I'm standing alone in a park
Everything around me is dark
Got to set myself free of you
Set me free, please, I'm begging you.

     It shouldn't be this difficult
     All I want to do now is bolt
     But I will stay and fight the pain
     It gets better, nothing's in vain.

It may be in the beat

Here I am thrumming
As I concentrate on
The lyrics

Grinning and
Almost convinced

Artists were thinking
of us while writing.

It is more than those
Love declarations

It is also the ones
With a message that
Is not dead on

I have the microphone
Hitting every note

Where I am punching
The air

I do not turn a hair
When that is all
I ought to do
Sing along
And dance moves
I want to share.

I have a playlist
All day long
Volume louder
Earphones on

Music is
The mediator
Between my heart
And yours;

Every song I hear
I think of you

Not just love songs
Not pop, jazz,
Rap nor techno

Every song
I think of you
Every song is
About you

You are
Every genre
You are my
Favorite
Song.

I see the dress hanging in my closet
Brings me back to the day you I and met
A series of images reappear
I even remember how the clouds moved
It seems like magic happened yesterday
All over now, the dark days quickly came.

I can't bring myself to wear it again
Dare not toss it away, at any cost
Just hanging in the closet, left to dust
Awaits the hour to see light again.

The way you stared at it, clear in my head
And your compliment, sweet words that you said
Emotions so strong instantly appeared
You knew exactly that I would be wooed
Never felt sexier than on that day
I try it on now, it's just not the same.

Can't wear this dress in broad daylight again
I do want to throw it away, at all cost
Yet I know I'll leave it there, left to dust
Waiting in the dark 'til we meet again.

Turning the ordinary into art
They perceive things with a creative heart
When a piece is incomprehensible
To a few, its purpose is logical.

Artists are known to exude a strange side
They hardly ever follow the high tide
And who would want it any other way
On their terms, they do the most of their day.

Living in their own world with rules they set
Go the distance, never to be stranded
As soon as they begin, they cannot stop
Feelings overwhelm, takes them to the top.

At times, such inspiration becomes rare
Overanalyzing is just not fair
Some will get mad at their own creations
Because of their search for small perfections.

Capturing a moment like they do now
Opportunities they should not pass by
They will look back because it was divine
Who ever said that we can't create time?

I have heard it all before
People claiming that this is
A reality we cannot ignore

All good things
Must come to an end

And now when they finally do
The past flashes before my eyes
Looking back on
The great moments
I spent here, in the company of
Terrific friends.

It is the end of an era
And I get teary-eyed
As I bid my final goodbye

All good things
Come to an end

I am not quite certain
What the future holds
But as long as I have you
By my side, creating something new
With confidence
Our new era just began.

The world put to a halt,
In lockdown
Creating this cocoon of ours.

Morning kisses
Conversations on toast
Another coffee for this sleepyhead,

It is in those seconds you do not notice
That it hits me the most.

Who will we be
When this page goes down in history?

Dressing sharp for a burger
Dancing to silence,
I will remember

Feelings on the tip of my tongue
Slowly unlocking  -

Truth lights up the dark

I fell in love
During lockdown.

A heart that listens when not asked
Your gift to me as I unmask
The sordid details no one likes
Those that leave a scar on the psych.

You cannot continue as if
The soul did not shake like a leaf
To the revelation just made
How you see me after I strayed.

Though you stay quiet in exil
You hurry back after a while
Ask my vile heart to listen
It can be fixed what is broken.

The way you look at me, the same
Cannot grasp why you're not in flames
You insist I will understand
What love can endure when it's grand.

Close
But not intimate;
Friends
Without benefits;

Love of my life
How do you stay
In my life.

We snap a picture
Immediately
Look for the best filter.

Lovers to friends
A relationship on diet.

Lovers to friends
Pillow talk outside the bed.

Passion is filling a void
That can never overload
Words flowing incessantly
But the glass always seems
Like it is running empty
Though a nod of satisfaction
When a piece is done
As soon as you think enough
You are once again a sponge
It is the people you adore
The new ideas you absorb
The tranquility you then feel and
A piece of paper becomes a thrill
You will not ever turn weary
Passion is fuel in the ordinary
Your own sun rising daily
Even when inspiration is lacking
All you wish to do is feed on
Words that acquire a life of their own
Hoping to be a channel
Of the change they enable
Words are more than what is needed
More than what you love and covet
Only writing can be result and seed
The cure and the cause that sees
Why passion keeps your feet on the ground
And rockets your soul to a higher ground.

I listen to my mother
Because she knows me
Better than
I will ever know myself
She will describe how I feel
No matter what situation
I am in
She reads me
Without ever
Misinterpreting
She senses what is best
Because my fleeing heart
Was always hers to protect
Now she listens to me
I have come to an age
Where my words are
An extension of her script
Tables are not turned
But I am her mirror
And I want her to treasure
That all I have done
Is for her
I listen to her, my mother
And she listens to my word
My sun and moon,
Our beating hearts
Yesterday and
Evermore in tune.

I can't believe it's the second time
That our paths cross, just to part.
The odds seem not on my side.
Can't get the chance to spell out
You are the only one...
Who sets my heart; on ice and fire.

What a crime to love this way:
It's paralyzing, so suffocating.
Trapped in a prison of despair
There's only me to blame.
You were just meters away,
And I was such a chicken.

I've been waiting so long
For an opportunity like this
It was on replay in my dreams
Come reality, not easy so it seems.
Startled to see you again,
        needed to recollect myself
And you were gone, all of a sudden.

People say third time's a charm
I can't buy it, it's a sham.
Miss out on you twice --
No such luck! Not written in the stars!
The first time it was unfair,
The next, it is I that cries.

I make my own destiny,
but couldn't make us happen.
It is the end of the road,
You will never be in my world.
I was late, you left too early
Fate hints you're not meant for me

A placeholder ring
Temporary meaning
I vow in-between.

Hold my spot
Til better comes along

Who is going to tie the knot.

A lady in waiting,
Eternity does not come easily
Or swiftly.

One who seeks a definite answer
Needs patience indefinitely.

Does Mr. Right
Promise all the right things
Right now,
Enough to keep me hungry?

A short-term solution
When I dream of a
Permanent situation

A preview of what is real
All I see
Is intention to commit,

When does forever start
If not today?

Your actions echo love,
My rendition of it;
Why don’t they linger
Like words will.

Your actions parade love
That I applaud;
Why can I not trust them
Unless I have it in print.

I write
Poems of love
For a man of few words.

I feel
Acts of love
For a writer, is it not enough.

It is yesterday
That carves today
It is yesterday
That molds this way

How we get to feel
Decided upon
How the past is sealed

If we get to release
Solely hinges on
This former piece.


It is yesterday
That guides the present
It is yesterday
That steers this engine

Never was it the question
Whether or not
We shall abandon

The only concern
Is whether or not
We can change our opinion.

All meaning is lost, when
Traumatized
By what One loves the most
I could not listen anymore --
What had always
Made me feel alive
From then on
Left me
Trembling on the floor
Just a sound
I would break down
Just a bang
I would go numb

How do I brave on
When my reason
To be
Veered from eternity
To treason.

I could not, I reckoned
Unless I decided;
I still deserve the best,
I stated.

The path to recovery
Is a wretched one
But find one
Even a rose
With too many thorns
Equals a princess
That soldiered on

I discovered
That I was able to once more
Write lyrics
To the tracks
That set me
Back on track

That I alone
Can possibly
Understand

The essence of
Its existence
The true meaning
Of one's being --

Brick by brick
Building me up to the music;
So not only can I listen
But here I am,

Dancing again.

The sunset was just minutes ago
Next thing I know
First rays of light through my window
In your arms, I get lost in the moment
In your embrace, hypnotized by your scent.

Day turns to night, or the other way around
Only smirks as we jazz around
It all belongs to you, to you I am bound
In your smile, I sense something real
In your laughter, something genuine revealed.

Breakfast at midnight, dinner at noon
The sun outside, I only see the moon
Stars aligned, it's how you make me swoon.
In your eyes, the reflection of my happiness
In your gaze, my soul you possess.

Seems like time ceased to exist for me
Us in a nutshell; couldn't be more free  
The talks, the kisses, the works, really
With you, it's very sincere, yet so surreal.
With you, this heart of stone is healed.

Turning the ordinary into art
They perceive things with a creative heart
When a piece is incomprehensible
To a few, its purpose is logical.

Artists are known to exude a strange side
They hardly ever follow the high tide
And who would want it any other way
On their terms, they do the most of their day.

Living in their own world with rules they set
Go the distance, never to be stranded
As soon as they begin, they cannot stop
Feelings overwhelm, takes them to the top.

At times, such inspiration becomes rare
Overanalyzing is just not fair
Some will get mad at their own creations
Because of their search for small perfections.

Capturing a moment like they do now
Opportunities they should not pass by
They will look back because it was divine
Who ever said that we can't create time?

You have to speak louder
I can barely hear you
Come here,
Come a little closer.

You tilt your head
And as I feel your breath on me
I am about to lose my head.

Flushed, I nod and shudder
While gazing at your lips
And swiftly,
The background music just whispers.

The choice of your words
Love the sound of your voice;
The most enthralling noise I have ever heard.