Startled at the turn of twelve
Not any other time
Her cultured tones sound so amazed
Before the expected chime

What is it that's shocked her so
Whatever could be the matter
Is it the echo of some past time
Or some rival chronometer

At the third stroke she'll be oh so precise
And disclose the appointed hour
She'll watch each minute slowly disappear
My most reliable of voyeurs.

Huli na nga ba ang lahat
Kailan mo masasabing hindi sapat
Ang bawat piraso ng mga durog na puso
Ang bawat patak ng mga pulang dugo
Umagos kasabay ng mga luha
Sino ang totoong may sala
Isinulat sa pahinang gawa sa tubig
Ang makatotohanan ngunit huwad na pag-ibig
Kailan nga ba naging tama ang mali
Kapag ba wala nang makapitan ang pusong puno ng pighati
Puno ng galit at pagkamuhi
Bakit hinayaang maikubli
Sinong nagbigay ng buong tiwala?
Silang mga nabigo't nasaktan at umasa sa wala
Pilit mang pagtakpan ang mailap na katotohanan
Sarili lang ang dapat protektahan
Wala nang direksyon ang bawat bukas
Na mabuti na ring ito na ang wakas
Ang dulo ang simula ng salitang sapat
At ang simula ang dulo ng lahat.

Success is all he had
And hate was what it brought
Frenemies with smiles
All around your house
Perching your fortune as houseflies
The scramble stumble struggle  
That took you
To be a butterfly
Frenemies can
Make you turn larva
o-ver-night

I keep a pocket watch,
meticulously polished
and
insistently checked,
in my left breast pocket.

There it lives
on it ticks,
the soft clicks a reminder
of its continuous ticking
lasting far past the heart
that beats just below.

Toxically clean,
a faint scent of acetone drifts
on the wind as I walk pass,
head down and in a hurry.

I retreat quietly, gripping
the watch I rub in circles,
counter clockwise and
in compulsion,
an absent minded fidget
that helps panicked time pass,
it’s melodic clicks a
centering metronome.

"11:11, make a wish" i said quietly, staring down at the silver watch dangling from your wrist.

"how do you manage to catch every chance to make a wish?" you questioned.

"wishes mean a lot to me. theyre the only thing keeping me going," i answered honestly - a lot more honestly than im used to being.

you stared at me. not like the kind of way other people stare at me ; it felt nice.

"i dont know, its silly. but i like the idea of being able to want something really, really badly & getting it, instead of having to pray to some god. wishes dont always come true, but you know that going in. you dont blame the big guy in the sky if things dont turn out."

"i like that," you replied. "thats wholesome."

wholesome.
i'd never even heard anyone describe something as that.

"so what do you normally wish for?" you asked, locking eyes with mine. god, just your eyes take the breath out of me. i stalled, not knowing how to respond. i should just laugh it off, say something like "a lifetime supply of green pepper pizza".

"you," i whispered. i felt the red rushing to my face. my eyes jolted away from yours, searching for an escape from this too real situation. your watch. i stare at its face rather than yours. its soft tick, tick, tick is the only thing i can hear. one hand moves forward a position, & its 11:12.

"think its too late for me to make a wish?" you wondered aloud.

"never," i replied.

you held my hand, interlocking your fingers with mine.

"us."

Fluid rivers, their white noise and chilly inhaled lace
ease my mind's labyrinth, catching deep breaths
dancing in dreams of forest filled landscapes
like a child's security blanket, mother nature's embrace
we awake to marsh mellows and sticky coat hangers  
the dull, orange embers reignite purpose flames
as sunrise and coffee breaks the plains
a guitar lies naked near **** bottles of wine
reclaiming its tuning, strumming life into souls
and once the satsumas and the coffee's devoured
we bask in the sunshine, winding down hours
delaying the inevitable Watch Full Moon Tower

The watch I gave you on our 3rd year anniversary has suddenly stopped working


I wonder if our time is up too