Hello Dad, It's been awhile
You are away, a thousand miles
But you're in my heart, all this while.
Here enough to make me smile.

All this time, you're in my heart
Not just at heart, but also in mind.
It's just hard for me to see.
How hard it is to grow without you here with me.

I got used to the fact that you're not here.
But I never lose hope that you’ll ever come back.
It’s always in my mind that you are my Dad.
Like a solid rock that can never be cracked.

On your special day, I offer you this.
To let you remember that you are always missed.
A poem from a son who always loves you
Who gives these words from heart so true.

I want to know the reasons you smile, frown, cry, smirk.
The reasons your eyebrows curve, your forehead wrinkles.
The reasons you're happy, sad, angry, grumpy, bored, sleepy.

But you don't want me to.

hindi ako bubble gum
na iyong hahanapin
kapag ika'y nababagot sa kahihintay
na matapos ang iyong klase.

hindi ako bubble gum
na iyong pampalipas-gutom
sa kumakalam **** tiyan
na naghahangad na makatikim
ng pagkaing bubuhay sa iyong kalam'nan.

hindi ako bubble gum
na kaya **** paikut-ikutin
gamit ang iyong dilang mapanlinlang
na nagsasabing ako'y iyong minahal.

hindi ako bubble gum
na iyong iluluwa
matapos **** simutin ang lasang
iyong ninanais na makamtan.

at higit sa lahat,
hindi ako bubble gum
na iyong hahanapin
kapag ika'y naghahanap ng panandaliang tamis
sa mapait nating mundo.

One night
Two eyes with
Trickling tears
For countless regrets

Five fingers of a hand that
Seeks the proper words to write
Seven nights of trying but just
Ate those words back

Every single day, I think of you
Like a spore, latching to my shirt,
Are my thoughts of you, not escaping my mind.
Inevitable, as my brain describes when
Nothing is running in my head but you from
Evening skies through twilight blues.

Just like a river flowing endlessly away,
Over and under upon a rocky maze,
Your being continues to be engraved inside
Creating the perfect image of you and I.
Everlasting as the water's stride

Good memories to be remembered
As the best of friends
Likely to stay that way
Likely to be nothing but a friend to you
Or maybe even less

It's been a while since I last saw you. When I got a good look at your face, it's like everything changed and everything stayed the same, all at the same time.

It was six in a very cold evening. We shared a cigarette even though you had a cold and a nasty cough because that's what we usually did when we were together.  We'd talk about how you were doing with college and how I did because that's what we do, at least, did.

After a couple of sticks, we got back to my place. I thought it was a bad idea since it'd bring up a lot of things but that's the last thing I thought of as you walked in my room.

You saw my mattress was on the floor because it was a new place and I couldn't afford a bed frame at the moment. Still, you took off your shoes and jumped on it, saying "good night" because you haven't had much sleep because of school. I got my extra pillow and I hit your **** with it and as I expected, you still didn't budge.

I whipped up some instant noodles since that's all I had and I knew you haven't ate yet and as soon as I got it on the plate, you instantly got up my mattress and just ate it all. You yelled and got mad at me for not warning you that the noodles were hella spicy. You rushed to my counter to get some water and I laughed my *** off.

I got up and grabbed my guitar and I sang Galway Girl and you told me you didn't like the new album. Still, I continued playing then you just sang along by the chorus.

The night went on along with a couple of more songs. You still had that graceful, thin voice even though you smoked a lot.  The voice that I really liked a lot because it calms me. I even showed you that I still had that recording of yours singing that Lily Allen song in which I forgot the title and you scoffed at me for saving that track.

With all that, bursts of nostalgia came rushing at me. I looked at you and I could say it looks the same for you. Our eyes met and you smiled.

A bad idea popped in my mind but before dismissing it, I find myself leaning closer to you, and simultaneously, you lean close to me. I smiled and thought, we really do think of bad ideas. With that, I find my lips touching yours.

It goes on for minutes and you suddenly stop, move back and say we shouldn't because... I'll get your cold. I smiled and moved my face closer to yours again. You hit my shoulder with your hand and smiled, and kissed me again.

We lay on my mattress for a few more moments, thinking of what we did and if it was the right thing to do. A part of me says I missed this, another says this was a really bad idea and before I could make up my mind, you get up and tried to get your things. You said you remembered you had to go and do your school thing. I got up as well and I accompanied you until you got a ride home. I waved goodbye as you went for the bus.

Suddenly, I sneezed and coughed then I laughed. I laughed because I knew I caught your cold.  And the worst thing is, I laughed because I knew a cold isn't the only thing I caught. I sighed then I smiled and I hoped that cold medicine could also take away the other things I caught....

For our favorite hobbies, we make our picks
For every typo and other things that make us tick
For our favorite meals, we contradict
For every remedy and care when we are sick

For every victory, big or small
For every challenge, to rise or fall
For every question, to each other's beck and call
For four years, we've been through it all

For every minute, we spend away
For many moments, we choose to stay
For hopes tomorrow, together we'll lay
For years to come, forever we'll say

My only refuge
My only escape
From the harsh and sad reality
Infested
Infected

Words muffled and muted
Messages left unsent and unseen
Emotions blocked and unfelt

*Help

it's always the same thing every night
we meet.
we embrace.
our lips touch.
our tongues play.
until night is upon us
and we go our separate ways.

my body longs for more.
my lips call out yours
until my mind does its wonders
and makes doubt enter my core.

and the anxiety flows
from my trembling heart
thru every single artery, vein, and nerve
that makes my eyes water;
my back tense;
my body shiver;
and my mind lose sense.

it closes in on my arms
and slowly creeps its way
to yesterday's cuts on my wrists
and reaches its way to my fingers.
then forces itself to rhyme
on a crimson-splattered piece of paper.

on and on, I will continue to write
until I hear your most beautiful good night.
even if I feel I'm not your only one
the illusion kicks back in. a poem is done.

how will he learn to write again
when words fail to reach him?

will he hold on to the same old words
which stuck to his pen rendering a mess?

will he reach to whichever combination of senseless vowels and consonants that appeals his voice
yet mutes the message he cannot even word?

will he break himself again to wring out the wild letters of emotion waiting to break free to splatter his paper crimson?

or will he just force a rhyme to make his paper black-and-white colorful?

every time my urge to cry comes,
i just make myself realize.

*are you still worth my tears?

Every time my urge to cry comes,
I just ask myself:


Are you still worth my tears?

Then I realize,

Y̶o̶u̶ ̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶w̶o̶r̶t̶h̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶r̶y̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶

*My everything isn't even enough of your worth.

a hundred lines written
a thousand words dedicated
all these writes i made
all for other people
makes me wonder
when will someone
write poetry for me

lapis
gamit panulat
sa dulo'y pambura
pantanggal ng sulat

lapis
pinapatulis
gamit ng maliit na pantasa
panlinaw ng sulat

hapis
pilit pinipiga
mula sa pusong sumusuko na
papunta sa dulo ng pansulat

lapis
wala na
tinasahan at pinilit buuin
ngunit nabali na

My love for you is nothing, compared to him
He can give you diamond-studded watches
When all I can give you is
All of my precious time.

My love for you is nothing, compared to him
He can buy you sweet chocolates in heart-shaped boxes
When all I can give you are
Sweet, unforgettable memories.

My love for you is nothing, compared to him
He can take you to Paris, Venice; anywhere
When the only place that I can take you is
To my entire world.

So many things that I can't give you, unlike him
But I will tell you this
My love for you is nothing
Because nothing lasts forever.

Never let her go.
Even if she has the nastiest tongue,
that not a single sentence she speaks doesn't have vulgarity,
but when she speaks those three words
makes the most beautiful symphony.

Never let her go.
Even if she's the craziest girl you know,
that not a single day you spend with her doesn't have her constantly nagging you,
but when she gives you her most tender kiss and her warmest embrace,
melts the most frozen peaks.

Never let her go.
Even if she loves taking pictures of herself,
that not a single day doesn't drown you with her selfies,
but when she gives you her most beautiful smile,
makes the brightest stars go dim.

Never let her go.
Never let her go.
Because the single day that you do,
will make you regret that you ever did.