When I was very young
I'd pass notes for fun
They served no real purpose

Later,
My insecurities
Started with a note

Someone was sad
So I wrote them a story
They laughed at it,
At me,
For weeks

It took me
Seven years
To share my writing
Again

I met my best friend
From a note

He's gone now
That's when
My sadness
Climaxed

Then I met you
I wrote a poem
And folded it into a bird
Hoping you would see the beauty

You never saw the poem,
But you liked the bird
And that was enough
For me

That was when
I remembered
How to smile

Then I left
I wrote a message
And folded it into an
Airplane

And hoped
Someday
It would find you

That was when
I discovered
Loneliness
Can be stronger
Than I thought

I've passed many notes
They caused my insecurity
Sadness
Loneliness

They taught me
To never trust words

However,
They also gave my smile back

Two bits of cardboard stuck onto each other.
Perfectly fitting, but you unmake me sober.

Three double bends with the bone folder.
A figure of a bird, and his broken cage lying in the corner.

An origamist took my heart,
folded it into a thousand pieces
and then called it art.

By: Lulwama Kuto Mulalu