Desensitized
Living without seeing
The truth that lies ahead
Encompassing your every moment
Without acknowledgement

Happiness
An emotion with no basis
What makes one happy?
Not money, nor rags
Nothing but a deception of the mind
What does happiness really mean?

Tears fill my eyes
Sadness overcomes, but why?
Nothing has changed

Termites, moths
Insects of the night
Begging to feel the light of day
Death

I get close
distance dance
Never quite warm or safe
Tightness
Almost
Is that me or him?
Us.

I absorbed the world
All the while feeling
It was rejecting me

Never Asian enough
Never white enough
Told that I was neither

I am both, more, and nothing at the same time
I simply am.

I can feel shades of love
but it’s constantly tainted
by the need to contort myself
To be more of this, less of that

It gets me in the the door
But me,
Standing alone naked,
Is never enough.

The graveyard of lost boys
Searching, forcing, finding
Loss and Obliteration
Only to forget

The love you gave me
Pure in its form.
Free from violence and control.
Many things I love about you
but perhaps most of all
unrelated to you
Was the permission you gave me to love myself

Pit in my stomach
Slowly melts away
Every time we say bye for now
I can feel myself again
Clouds retreat
Clarity sets in
Intuition lays waiting
In the pit of my stomach
Until I am ready

Reckless negligence
Of my heart and body
You will never touch me again

Unfounded fondness
hormonal rush
too high

I'd like to call it true treasure hunting
spot that and start digging
the dig is deep and arduous
where ***** traps deter
you know what you want & pull
coins overflowing
exposing them to the light of day

...more like contamination, poison
not treasure at all.

Today you won the election
Speaking for all sexists and racists alike
Validating their convoluted feels
Insidious and inhumane
quieting our voice, my voice
the voice of a woman
a multicultural woman
a scientist
you shut me up

Sturdy on my own two feet
Quickly sinking today
Feet turn to putty
As I scramble to stay balanced
Blackout
Start over

Slowly walking again

Fresh imagination
Contorted interpretation
You seep into my spirits
Despite my frustrations

Distorted memory
Creeping in, flashes
Am I dreaming?
Eyes of a creep
Back of a robber
Chaotic movements
Help

Glow of neon signs, tall buildings ahead
Commotion
Hopes of reaching a particular destination
Intense smells rise through the air
Noise, crowds, can’t move
Time stops

The oasis of a bright yellow taxi
Watch as the scene fades into memory
Time stops

Out and up the stairs
Higher
Discarded trash lingers
Fading into darkness

Water drips quietly down the hill
Orchestra of chainsaws echo throughout
A monkey peers out
Time stops

Humans feel a need to separate themselves
To establish a superiority over all other beings

Urban and nature
Words meant to divide, when there is no difference

Poetry, writing, a protest
Bridges the gap

We are all one
Freedom

Visible light
The sun’s gift
Greets us every morning when we wake up
Dictates our every move
Makes us feel safe
Warming

Light that is emulated all around
In classrooms, on dark pathways
Evolved with our eyes
Making the world deceptively clear
But how clear?

Is there not more to see?
Colors everywhere
Blue sky, green grass, white clouds
Only a perception
Our point of view, nothing is actually clear
Or true
Even light

The bitter sweet steaming hot beverage that calls out to you every morning
That enables you to begrudgingly get out of bed
That smells strongly, and leaves a distinct taste lingering in your mouth
That with one sip makes you jittery and bright-eyed
That entices people, and brings us together
All waiting, joyfully, for our daily dose

The drink that makes you cringe as a child
With a taste so ghastly, you swear you’ll never partake in the morning trend
The drink that perseveres and patiently awaits
As days and years pass by, and lists grow longer
Responsibilities increase  
And finally you succumb
Reaching for a cup
Satisfied

The smell of musk after a hard workings day
The quite calm that eases in
The chaos of today fades away
As bright colors of pink and orange settle in comfortably across the sky
Birds begin to chirp and dogs begin to bark
Silence overcomes all around as people make their way home
Smells of food float through the darkness creeping in
Families retreat, delighted to be together again
Replenishing energy
Awaiting tomorrow

Darkness, night
Always brings with it the quiet voices that have been whispering away
Louder and louder
In confidence, they are heard
The battle for sleep, the battle for reason
Begins
Am I safe? Will we meet again?
Perhaps as stardust on another planet
Years and years
Questions unanswered
Numbness for now
Goodnight