Nationally we rejoice at the drop of the sun,
Sending explosives that dazzle the skies in parotic hues,
Silenced are the fears of the weary who cower in the corners of oppression and differential treatment,
Misjudged are the BIPOC who do not mirror the sentiments of the majority,
Forgotten are the fallen who lie in unmarked tombless foregrounds, Be cautious of the realities faced by the neighbors hidden in solitude, Be mindful of the friends who decide to stay indoors,
Be compassionate for our nation is hurting,
Though mass media may have muffled their cries,
Their lived experiences echo at an amplitude regarded by the awakened.

Take the "La" out of Label for they are more than a diagnosis,
They are fathers who have immigrated to a new country while hiding the schizophrenia they battle just to uphold employment,
They are mothers who sustain households while silencing themselves for their family's protection,
They are sister's who step up and raise siblings while charading stability,
They are brothers who mask realities to rejuvenate positivity,
They are families that have undergone generational trauma to pave a path for a brighter tomorrow,
Disabilities - mental illness - mental health - are not deficits of identity; they bolster morale and resilience in the BIPOC community.

These are the students that fight the notions of normality to reduce the stigma,
These are the scholars that rewrite the narrative in pursuit of decolonizing the education system,
These are the individuals who are representing an ever-growing population,
These are the souls that have abilities which surpass the medical  confinement of their disabilities.

& when it doesn't make sense,
& the wind blows in your direction,
I'll surrender to your will,
For in your benevolence I rest my faith,
Abundant expectancy.

& the next time the wind blows that familiar scent,
Reminisce on the benevolence of what we once had,
The essence of what once was,
& the potential of what was left behind,
A time adrift.

A companion through the seasons you welcomes our every phase, From the bittersweet triumphs to the deafening cries,
You stood alongside us through the mayhem.
Whilst mortality is fickle and forevers aren't certain,
You were the constant that prevailed,
Alas at summer's end you submerged with the currents,
Washing away any potential of tomorrow's sunlight,
Basking in infinite radiance you rejoin the promised,
Memories strike annually of your departure,
A forever friend.

She harbors resilience as the
skies cast shadows on
adversities endured,
flourishing evermore
- she lives.

Entrusted with sovereignty they set sail,
Prepared to face the threats that lie beyond the horizon,
Responders to the call of the weary are they who defend our fortress,
Mystics and heroines hoisted to battle at the drop of a flag,
An alliance to marvel by all in the land,
Legends are they whose sacrifices sustain our livelihood,
Its power vested in communion.

To settle down and reflect on the months passed,
Relishing memories and moments kept sacred,
Looking inward and healing a child once forgotten,
A year's end to really pause and live,
For self actualization is as complimentary as winter and rain,
A chill flourishing among a fresh becoming; annual.

Clinging to her every breath does it restrict the flow of energy and reason,
In each passing moment the space surrounding her melts into bounds of solitary confinement.

Her thoughts aflutter begin to frenzy into a spiral,
Clouding her recognition of self,
It is a feat beyond wit and will,
Marvel at how her anxiety prevails,
But she persists still.

oh precious flower,
we marvel at how you uprooted yourself in pursuit of a healthier home,
not only did you sow your seeds in foreign soil,
you defied the seasons to tend to their every need till they flourished into the blossoms we regard today.
your discomfort is now their triumph.
their victory reigns as a testament to your sacrifice.

They come in a myriad of sizes,
Their skin ranges beyond the rainbow of complexions,
With hair graciously flowing amid an array of textures,
They are beautiful as they are,
For who they are,
& what they represent.

Look beyond the borders of the walls that contain you for the world is vast,
Push past the horizon that surrounds you because your heart is true,
Let the raindrops dampen your existence as you begin your journey,
You embody light and emit potential,
Let your work be your legacy,
May your diligence be gracefully saluted,
For you are more than their minds can ever fathom.

Beyond the eye can see is where my beloved waits for me,
Amid my despair he guides me everywhere,
Casted into this realm of mortality I dance with my sins,
Seeking to cleanse my accounts and embark on the journey within,
I sit in prayer,
I uplift in meditation,
I transcend the arbitrary.

Life is but a brief blink of an eye,
Awakened at the clock's end to infinite light,
An endless continuation of the benevolent.

Head held high she stares into the abyss,
Her power and beauty is beyond measure,
For words fail to compile a description worthy of her being,
The fine lines mingle with hidden secrets in blurred perceptions,
Her femininity is vast,
Beyond that received by the naked eye,
Identity vested within the lineage carried by her stride,
She is a woman worthy of her pride.

Manifest a reality worthy of your being,
Appreciate the cosmos aligning within.

Boundless is the darkness that blankets our consciousness,
Infinite is our desire which lies hidden in our whispers,
Empty are our hearts at sunrise,
A forsaken encounter for memories unified.

The final cadence of our union dismantled at the maestro's gesture,
A well sought forever concluded in nevertheless,
Promises ceased at the symphony's end,
A distraught reality remains.

It all led up to this moment,
The dedication we casted our ambitions in,
The triumphs we rooted our adversities in,
It brought us to the next chapter of our lives,
And for you I'm forever grateful to,
Thanks for joining me on my journey.

The California dream is what we were living,
From the adventurous summer splendor,
To the heartfelt bittersweet departures,
Those unified celebratory cheers,
It was summer 21' of unprecedented affection,
Onto the next phase of life we go where unknown possibilities lie dormant,
Here's to the discoveries to come,
The gratitude to bestow,
& memories we'll create.

Change is constant in the impermanence of life.
This transcending realization strikes as the sky stains yet again with whispers of blue,
A new season dances into the horizon,
reminding all to grace its arrival with humility and fortitude.

It was as if he had swallowed milk and honey,
intoxicating all who listened.

His words melted reality and crafted illusions beyond her mind's eye,
evoking dreams from the broken fragments she claimed whole.

He painted her canvas with colors she could only fathom,
the charismatic allure surrounding the energy they shared.

They crossed paths in an unlikely time,
feeling depth beyond destinations defined.

Coasting along the interstate the sun trickles down the horizon,
Bleeding into the land darkness casts its cloak on the land,
Moonlit fantasies decorate the skies as she shifts her gears to surge ahead,
Euphoria of the ride engulf her mind's eye - matching heaven's every stride,
An endless wanderer,
Lost in the journey's mayhem.

Confide in me she whispers,
Peeling away each layer that traps his essence,
Share your devious truths that ache to surface,
Confide in me,
Trusting her gestures he dismantles his barriers,
Flooding her refuge with stories untold,
He confides in her solitude.

The monotonous haze of suspicion clouds her perception, Uncertainty meddles with speculation as she ponders,
A decision avowal.

the moon rises and illuminates the darkness,
the night beckons confessions from the willing,
here - together - they unravel the intricate layers of their being,
a vulnerable act of expression to comprehend inner turmoil,
with parsed memories and melancholy anecdotes they ramble,
a vocal embrace of unity; discoveries.

Carry me once my feet give out,
When my will slips from my being and I lay frozen in life's meadow,
For my voice will silence and my thoughts will still,
I will reach serenity in your arms,
Carry me home,
Where formless is our identity and the current merges our souls.

It was a somber retreat that walk home,
The streetlights beckoned her every step,
A haze of doubt and suspicion lingered in every corner,
Guilt climbed her spine and caused her to shudder and pine,
An endless agony of mistakes foregone,
Perched upon the darkened doorstep she now steadies herself,
Bracing the confession afoul.

Departures casted in moonlight decorate her heartbreak,
Feverish realizations settle,
A forgotten union dismantled at sunrise.

The scripture recited harmoniously was once a collection of disunity seeking clarity,
the hymn illuminating worship was but a misguided prayer given direction,
for the devotee of truth was merely a traveler led by lies.

Evil is good deprived as sin is a deed misguided,
wrongdoings are not but acts of oblivion as harm is to an interpreter's call,
light only cascades when darkness prevails,
and lessons can only be taught when mistakes derail,
oppositions engulf our beings as we factor their cause,
a melody is but a discord discovered - realized in flaw.

Living in contrasting hues their duality clashes,
Oppositions transcend logic and bare pains of confusion,
Words take form and pierce the fabric of union,
Timeless ventures into the abyss,
A departure premature.

Rough around the edges she's a ravenous piece,
Capturing light and reflecting elegance at every turn,
Raw to the core her wit is unmatched by trivial mineral composition,
She's a gemstone to cherish,
A glory to salute,
A sister worth a thousand leagues beyond that of this realm,
An emerald in our wake.

Weary is the wanderer who travels with no true destination,
Hesitant is the past he's abandoned home,
Unconscious is his pursuit with no avail,
Forgotten is her memory as he treads sporadically; endless turmoil.

An epiphany manifests in the wake of her devotion,
Celestial hymns strumming in her mind's silence,
Eternal melodies paving a path to beyond,
Transcending mortality,
Relinquishing the shackles of karma,
She escapes samsara.

You subject me to the norms that stem from your fears,
your ignorance shrouds you from the generational trauma endured by the BIPOC community,
you continue to suffocate and silence the masses,
it is the color of your skin that reigns supreme,
however the same heart beats within us all,
a tantric hymn fighting for recognition,
so the world rises to have their voices heard,
to end the norms that are wrongfully placed upon marginalized communities,
for we will be heard,
it is well deserved.

Stranded among deserted dreams she folds her hands,
Prayers whisper in weakened ears as her punishment beams,
This reckoning will magnify throughout decades for her exile awaits,
A lonesome retreat for a somber song,
Broken soundtracks repeat reconciled tunes,
A sanctum of regret welcomes her remorse,
For deeds cannot be undone and the words spoken stung;
Ghastly hours await.

Take me away,
To the brighter days where daylight trickles into the crevice of my despair,
To the sweet escape that lingers in the air,
Take me away,
For I am of this sphere no more,
I long for you as you play in the wind,
As you brighten universal hues of contentment,
I seek your benevolence.

And when life moves you,
Bend to its call,
For just as the water dances with the breeze,
So shall your spirit gloat with life's current.

In the ruins of memories shall I scavenge for relics,
I seek totems of our union and idols of our departure,
For in the battlefield we shared I sit to relish the agony of separation we now bare,
To the crimson kisses staining our surrender,
A salute to fractured promises.

To sit with myself and the mayhem that lies within,
listening to the inner voice that was silenced by ridicule and speculation,
to understand the longing hidden in the whispers of my mind's scape,
I choose peace,
for the stagnant waters that once frighten me welcome my decision wholeheartedly,
I am not afraid anymore,
drawing boundaries and barriers to my spirit,
dimming my outer appeal and channeling my intuition inward,
I choose peace.

Your silence holds me captive in an endless loop,
I spiral not knowing whether you're alive or dead,
Pondering aimlessly I drift solemnly,
Holding my wits I persist despite the confusion,
A wanderer amid lies I readily seek truth and salvation,
An escape from the turmoil,
A relief from the wordless.

I saw your ghost on a train downtown -
it beckoned me to walk down memory lane once more

What a feverish recollection of unspoken dreams,
for familiarity of passing your stop created this melancholy haste -
the agony of persisting despite the lack of closure

your shadows still linger on the platform as I push forward,
ever reminding me of what could have been; nostalgia.

The fork in the road nears as we prepare to go our separate ways,
This journey we shared in unprecedented times steadily halts,
Leaving the future to create distance among us,
A bittersweet departure lingers as I watch you take off,
Understanding it'll never be the same,
Letting go with every step you take in the opposite direction,
This is goodbye,
to the hopes we birthed,
the dreams we forged,
and the memories we shared,
this is goodbye.

A treacherous journey one embarks on to heal,
With unexpected turns in the path it is not linear,
Through adversities there will be triumphs,
In hardship you will prevail,
Keep going in the direction the universe has set for you,
Keep growing at the pace that is right for you,
Individualize your experience and embrace your process,
You are deserving of the kindness bolstering within.

& in the fragrance of yesterday I'll bow my head in humility to pay respects to the child that roamed free.

For she was a mischievous character who tended to nature, heeding the wind's call.

She was a ferocious mine, eager to answer the precarious pondering of mental illness and abandonment.

She was confused because she was young and couldn't handle such complexity.

She found solace in lavenders.

A scent that rooted her in spirituality and happiness.
A scent that reminded her of happiness and rebirth.
A scent that provided her refuge from the uncertainty of life.
A simple embrace from the mystic himself.
A simple flower carried her through tedious transitions and remained a stable symbol in her ever shifting life.

Bowing her head in humility she prepares to transition into the next chapter of her life.

With a humble heart I tread forward.

Onto a new state, a new journey, a new chapter.

Her hands are delicate from the burden she carries,
The lines seen on her palms trace journeys her ancestors traveled for her to be here today,
Her fingers grasp the pen firmly as she strokes a new narrative into existence,
Rings sparkle in the light with each motion as a symbol of sovereignty and culture,
Mehndi celebrates her heritage in a bashful pursuit for representation,
A female successor in the works,
Breaking the norms and defining her identity one step at a time.

life is unpredictable in its fickle nature,

moments can transform into a lifetime of shared splendor or somber recollection,

healing isn’t linear nor is life’s trajectory as we tread this path scattered with trials and tribulations,

time challenges our wit and forces our hand at resilience as we build ourselves countlessly to brace the changes that come our way,

that is the beauty of existing— understanding the significance of loss and relishing the triumph of union,

savoring the essence within us and radiating faith amid our silent prayers,

healing isn’t linear, nor is life’s trajectory as we are riddled with fates that at times make us question our purpose in retrospect to the everyday,

this breath is but a gift of chance for us to continue walking mindfully with the beauty that surrounds us,

you are but a flower in the garden of tomorrow; blossom endlessly.

Simple and serene she contributes to the conversation,
Raising awareness and destigmatizing stereotypes,
She is a humble soul,
A heartfelt bundle of potential.

Hear her silence for it tells a tale to seeking ears,
Through pursed lips she spills secrets the mind's eye has led you to fathom,
The wisdom that lies in her intellect is that of awe,
Spare her a mere moment to witness a world of constellations and revelations.

They stand like folding memories,
rising to bid the conscious farewell.
in this illusive state she ponders,
praying for the retention of a familiar.
sigh.
each exhale releases an ache,
for its return is unclear.
holding onto a thread she walks,
following a trial of fear and wishes;
together. it's a promise.

Judge me by my acts not my words,
For the world may be filled with roses,
But I shall be his one and only unique rose,
My importance will reign above else now that he has watered and sheltered me in this glass globe,
The caterpillars he has killed and the butterflies he dismisses are acknowledged,
To the listening ears he lent and the hours we have spent,
To the silence shared and the agony of separation I bare,
I am his rose.