windows up
walls down
in the backseat of her toyota
staring at the green fluorescent car clock
9:37
he looks over his shoulder in the passenger seat,
the boy who could breathe without inhaling
a mere party trick.
i had always wondered what it felt like to be a teen
stupid as is seems
i was sheltered once,
hidden from night rides
obscured from midnight hikes
asleep instead of the early morning mcdonald trips
my friends were more persistent on making me to eat with them
than making me exhale dancing fumes with them.
i only know the double chin grins on our snapchat stories
the rude jokes, the black ripped jeans, and snapbacks
the lime green socks that matched the stair railings
and pink sliders never looked better.
the “6:30” movies (5:30, shhh, my mom can’t know)
and the crinkling of empty water bottles in the backseat
i felt alive tonight,
even through the tough,
sushi stores and reclining movie theaters never felt more like home.
and boba stores that stay open late with neon open signs
welcome us
9:37
the “oH mY gOsH iTs a DoG” screams
the photoshoots with random men wearing fake Coach hats
the posing by wooden desks
the lights that lounge effortlessly above
encaptures our spirits and brighten them
i don’t drink, but they smoke
but tonight, beer can’t buzz us more than boba
and childish giggles escape from my wide smile.
so this is what the lullabies were about
this is what katy perry sang about
this is what i had been waiting for
to experience moments of pure awe and affection for those around me
to see them smile in slow motion when they understand a joke
or react to something
our collective experiences are understood
no words need to be ushered to empathize
as we dress like the night,
we transform into it
the stars flicker for us
the moon gives us her blessing
and the sleeping sun gives us our space
9:37
was meant for us
the clock stops
and time stretches its arms to infinity and beyond
i could live in the frozen frame of this evening
bomber jackets, jean jackets, and tattooed planets
the inside jokes, the enjoyed hoax, our future hopes
they live inside the car clock that reads, in green, 9:37

It’s always fascinated me
how every single cell in our bodies
works so hard
to keep us alive
you could say
that they love you
and care about you
but that’s not true
they have no sentience
no will
but they have a mission
a purpose
which is more than some people have
and it’s almost an honor
when you think about
how these trillions of cells
have the same purpose:
to help you

Good or bad times, they
always stand behind you, check
your wedding album.

A lunar cycle passed in memoriam of them
Who helped paving the road to unity
Yet sought the warmth of the sun
The golden gleam shone brightly on the pass
They marched forward

A staple in the system deemed unmatched
An adhesive bond, firmly grasped
Although double-checked it dissipated
The roadmaker came to a fall

Falling silently, they let out a final cry
As the path cracked in time
The road distorted into contortion

What seemed like a peaceful road
Ended up a jagged pass
The falling abruptly ended

The hands that reached out to them
Embraced them in a livid bloom
Of effervescent warmth

I stood amongst the occasion
To guide the roadmaker, creator of the stars
To guide them to their ultimate path

I want to believe in a world
Where ashes do not go back to ashes,
Where dust will not go back to dust,
Or into the bones
Of oblivion.

I want to believe in a world
Where hats would drop off
When the artist speaks,
Or sows together pieces
Of melancholy and precision.

Yes, I want to believe in this perfect world
Where a thought can be bought
For more than a penny,
But for a whole
Golden mine.

This world is both yours and mine,
So please believe in it,
So we can stop beating around the bush
When it comes to you and me
And art.

Daig ko pa yata ang mga supporting roles sa mga pelikula. Kayo ang bida, at ang ako itong sumusuporta sa inyo na walang katapusan. Walang katapusang pagbulagbulagan. Walang katapusang sakit ang nararamdaman ko. Palaging pinipilit ang sarili na hindi mahulog para sayo. Palaging pinipilit sa isipan na ikaw ay para sa kaniya at siya ay para sayo.

Ngunit kahit anong pilit kahit anong pigil sa damdaming ito, bakit nahulog parin? Bakit di ko mapasokpasok sa loob ko na hindi tayo. Na ako ay ang supporting role lamang. At kayo ang binda. Siya ang leading lady at ikaw ang leading man.

Mabuti pa nga sa mga pelikula, at least merong ka partner ang female supporting role. Pero ako? Ikaw lang ang nasa paningin. Ikaw lang ang gustong yakapin. Ikaw. Ang kaisaisang bagay na di ko kayang makuha. Isang bagay na di para sa akin.

This year:*

(for those with brave hearts)
I hope you find the strength to make your choices and fight for the life that you want.
I hope you look up from all your hard work and realize how much you've grown.
I hope you find yourself saved sometimes.
I hope you find time to get lost, in your head, in the wilderness, to explore forests, and gaze into rivers.
I hope you find your best self looking back at you. I hope you know you're always growing.
I hope you feel challenged.
I hope you never stop believing in the view from the top of the mountain.
I hope you get there. I hope you find it was worth it.

(for the softhearted)
I hope you find more time to laugh.
With your friends, at yourself, or at the world for ever thinking it could hurt you.
I hope you can take the pain and say "thank you."
i hope you realize it has only made you all the more good, all the more beautiful.
I hope you start looking less at the mirror, start believing more in who you are in other people's eyes, what you know you are in your heart.
I hope life gets sweeter, hope you wake up with your head in the clouds, your soul flying.
I hope you finally find what you're looking for.
I hope you find yourself smiling.

(for those with big hearts)
i hope you realize how important you are, how you make people feel appreciated and loved.
i hope you realize that the world wouldn't be the same if you weren't trying so hard to make it a better place.
i hope the world tucks you into bed, proud of its little soldier.
i hope you appreciate yourself for your efforts.
i hope you never get tired of being a champion of the things people say no longer exist - so much kindness, goodness, love, peace.
i hope that you find fulfillment in the little things because sometimes, that's all we get.
little things like knowing you made someone smile, or that the people you love are doing fine, doing better.
i hope you realize that's all you need.
i hope your heart is proud of itself.
i hope the love that burns in you always keeps you warm.

(for the fainthearted)*
I hope you realize there's so much more to your life than you thought there was.
I hope you find moments that make your breath catch, a million things to marvel at.
I hope life surprises you. I hope you surprise yourself.
I hope you find your horizons expanding, and see that it's not as bad as you thought.
I hope your dreams take you places; I hope you travel paths that you never knew existed, but where you feel you belong.
I hope you discover your longings, what your heart would sing for, what you didn't know you wanted all along.
I hope you get up and chase it.