Could you be here?
the street sign, trees, puddles of wet snow
murmur Yesssssssss
father and daughter playing a card game
with the woman behind the counter
whisper You could, if you tried
the drawing and origami birds
folded up inside an exhibition booklet from Krakow
urge you
to be here.

Sometimes I am still in high school
feeling alone like a fool
on the margins an arm’s length away
a nobody with nothing to say
just out of pace
chosen last for one side in a game
but I graduated
moved into the world to find my place
but at times I get in a clinch
and still feel on the fringe.

I reside at the In-Between,
Just like the hyphen
joining those two words,
A silent flatline
in the midst of two worlds.

Nobody chooses In-Between,
Its vague monotony
is too loud to bear,
Each passing minute
confusing and yet, bare.

The frustration of In-Between
is knowing I’m the bridge
connecting them as one,
and longing to be both
but belonging to none.

Fumble little toe further may you grow; the tumbleweed is a playground for practice
Wayward to a vast world may it hold you to the earth
Where there is fortune; poverty; glory; starvation and duty.

Stumble little toe the more you ever know, the tumbleweed is part of the experience
Oh, so little you’ve seen, and thy feet can cover only cover so much
Don’t you worry, the theatre; storytellers; night-time stories will explain it.

The pace of your epic crumbles,
It is so life will forward you like an arrow.

Death is nothing to fear,
It welcomes, nonetheless.

Your fruit is to create as the universe did for you.

Yes, little toe this is where the song ends sharp, the tumbleweed could never wish to harm you
Abruptly we say our goodbyes because you are ready for a while
Good night.

Oh, you trapped my soul
Locked it in the jailhouse
I came here a man out of time
Today a parasite
Clinging onto the walls
Wrapped around the bars
Stone walls are my friend
Prisoners are my family
Orange jumpsuits for a uniform
Carving the lines into the granite
What time is my parol?
Tastebuds conform to the slop
No one believes my cries
This verdict isn’t mine
I never did the crime
I must have been framed like a picture
Tricked by the trickster
My lawyer was in on the plot
Helped no one but himself
Oh, you trapped my soul
When will the day come
Where I leave behind these walls?
Somedays I think
This is where I belong.

My earth
rises
to meet your sky
And, it rains

the flowers of your longing
are blooming
in the forest of my soul
Don't pluck them, beloved
it hurts

I fell
deep
and drowned
in the waters
of your universe
In your eyes
is the solace
and belonging
the sense
of returning
home

What makes a country?


A nation


A state


What seals your fate?


An unbreakable tie


Of course you can lie


Say you come from elsewhere


No one will care


But deep down inside


You know you can't hide


No matter how far


Or how fast


You run


Your tribe


Is inscribed


On your soul


A part of your whole

If love is for fools
And hate is for monsters
Where does that leave me?

Somewhere in between
Lost in this shuffle
Wandering between forest and sea

Not quite belonging to either
But needing to be with the trees
Someday I’ll grow my roots