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M e l l o Jul 2019
Simpleng aya lang pero alam ko na kung ano ang naglalaro sa isip mo.

Ano na? Sasama ka ba?
Wag kang mag-alala hindi ako magtatanong kung
"open minded ka ba?"

Kung matagal na tayong magkakilala
alam na alam mo na kung ano ang aking sadya.

Umpisahan natin sa simpleng kamustahan,
madalas pag ako nag-aya malamang matagal tayong hindi nagkita
Saan ba tayo magkakape?
Ayos lang ba sayo
kung d'yan lang sa tabi tabi?
Pero alam kong mas maganda
ang usapan natin sa loob ng magandang café
pero pag wala tayong budget
baka naman pwede na iyong nescafé?
Ano ba mayroon sa pagkakape?
At bakit tila ba napakaimportante?
Ang tanong ano ba ang iyong forté?
Oh natawa ka mali pala ang aking sinabi
Ang ibig sabihin ko ay ano ba
ang gusto mo sa kape?
Malamig o maiinit?
Latté ba o yung frappe ang gusto mo
okay na ko sa brewed o americano
sorry medyo lactose intolerant ako
kaya bahala ka na mamili ng gusto mo
may kwento ako habang ika'y namimili
kwentohan kita tungkol sa mga taong
minsan ko nang inaya o di kaya'y nag-aya sakin na magkape
at sana mabasa niyo din ito
alam niyo na kung sino kayo dito,
wag kayong kabahan sa pagkat
ang inyong mga pangalan ay hindi ko
ipaglalandakan masyado akong concern sa pagkakaibigan natin
baka ako ay inyong biglang iwanan wag naman.


Simulan natin ang kwento sa kaibigan kong mga lalaki,
special 'tong dalawa kasi kakaiba
yung isa ang lakas ng loob niyang ayain ako
nang makapasok kami sa café
akala ko magkakape kami
akala ko lang pala yun
aba'y pagkapasok umorder agad ako ng kape
pero siya'y umorder ng tsokolate
loko 'to na scam ako
habang yung isa well,
ako yung nag-aya medyo matagal na din kaming hindi nagkita
kaya naman ako'y nabigla bagong buhay na daw siya
at umiiwas magkape sabi niya
gusto pa daw niyang matulog
nang mahimbing mamayang gabi
kaya ayun tsokalate din ang pinili
Ano?
Alam mo na yan kung sino ka d'yan.

Kinakabahan ka na ba?
Ikaw na kasunod nito.

May dalawa pa akong kaibigan
na lalaki,
pareho silang pag nag-aaya magkape
kailangan ko pang bumyahe
yung isa mailap at andyan lang
sa makati
at yung isa kailangan ko pang mag mrt kasi nakatira siya sa quezon city
sobrang weird lang ng isa kasi
yung bagong flavor sa menu nang café
tinatry niya parati
banggitin ko yung nasubukan niyang
flavor sa teavana series ng SB
Hibiscus tea with pomegranate
nasabi mo lasang gumamela
at yung matcha & espresso fusion
na nagmadali kang umuwi pagkatapos **** uminom
Hulaan mo kung sino ka rito?


Lipat tayo sa mga kaibigan
kong mga babae
pero bago ko simulan ang kwento,
madami akong kaibigang babae na sobrang mahilig din magkape
pero pasintabi sa mga lalaki
may gusto lamang akong ipabatid
pag kaming mga babae
ang magkakasamang magkape
pag ikaw ang nobyo ng isa dito'y
malamang lovelife ninyo ang topic
wag mabahala kapatid kasi
madami dami din naman kaming
napag-uusapan maliban sa lovelife niyong medyo kinulang
minsan may nangyayari pang retohan
pero lahat yun biro lang baka mapagalitan
pag ang topic na yan ang hantungan
kung ikaw ay nasa tabing mesa lang
malamang mapapailing ka na lang
sa mga topic namin na
punong puno ng kabaliwan
minsan pinaguusapan pa namin
kung sino yung couple
na naghiwalayan kamakailan, inaamin ko
songsong couple kasama sa usapan.

Dalawang grupo 'tong kasunod.

Eto yung mga kaibigan ko na kung kami'y magkape puro deep talks ang nangyayari,
mga bagay sa mundo na hindi mo akalain nakakagulo sa taong akala mo hindi pasan ang mundo.
Mabibigat na usapan na may kasamang konti lang naman na iyakan
sama ng loob, pagkabigo at sobrang pagka stressed sa trabaho.
Ilang mura ang maririnig mo
pag sensitive ka at hindi nagmumura
hindi ka kasama dito.
Eto yung deep talks na walang tulogan
alam mo na yan part ka dito
mga usapan na kung iyong pakikinggan ay
masasabi mo sobrang weird naman
ang mga topic ay everything
under the sun yun nga lang dudugo tenga mo sa technical terms at englishan.

Eto yung grupo ng deep talks yung topic ay puro pangarap, eto yung deep talks na masasabi kong very inspirational at educational. Hindi tulad ng naunang grupo
sa ganitong usapan madami kang malalaman.
Dito lalabas ang mga katagang
"Wag mo kasing masyadong galingan"
at yung "baka hindi mo ginalingan"
Sasakit ang tiyan mo kakatawa at sasakit mata mo sa kakapigil ng iyong luha eto yung genres ng deep talks na may humor, drama, slice of life, at shoujo.
Mga usapang trabaho katulad nang parang naging monotonous at routinary na ang buhay:
Need mo lang ng new environment?
Mag bakasyon ka?
Career growth?
Feeling stagnant?
At
Mga usapang gigil sa ganitong mga tirada:
Ilang taon ka na?
Kelan ka mag-aasawa?
May boyfriend ka na ba?
Nagpapayaman ka ba?
Bakit si ano may ganito na ikaw kelan?
Naka move on ka na ba?

Ano asan kayo d'yan?
Wala ba?

May grupo din na sila laging nag-aayang magkape, mga kaibigan ko na ang usapan lagi ay magkita
sa ganitong oras ay palaging
hindi sumasakto ang dating
Pag eto yung kasama ko puro usapan namin ay mga memories noong elementary
minsan lang magkakasama pero ang samahan solid naman ang lalakas mag kulitan o ano kelan ulit tayo pupunta ng mambukal?
Sino na ang ikakasal?


Sa sobrang dami kong nabanggit
muntik ko nang makalimutan ang dalawang babae na 'to
pag kami nagkikita bakit puro ako yung napupurohan sa asaran
ang layo namin ngayon pero sana
pag-uwi ay magkakape ulit tayong tatlo
sobrang dami ko nang baong kwento malamang yung isa dyan isang maleta ang hila niyan
sagot ko na ang kape pero pakiusap
hayaan niyo muna akong makaganti.


Ang dami ko nang naikwento pero hindi mo ba naitanong
kung saan nanggaling ang pagkahilig
ko sa kape? Walk through kita sa buhay ko, mahilig magkape ang papa ko, mas naunang nakatikim ng kape ang kapatid ko, yung isa hindi mo mapipilit magkape at madalas magsimsim ang mama ko sa kape ko.

May mga tao din akong nakasama magkape, may mga sobrang ganda ng topic. Dali na kwento mo na. May mga taong tatanungin ka din kong ano ba ang hilig mo pati pagsusulat ko kinakamusta ako.
Hindi lahat alam na nagsusulat ako yung iba na may alam, kabahan kana alam **** andito ka.

Salamat sa pagbabasa, ngayon lang ako lumabas para isama ka sa obra na 'to.
Asahan mo na marami pang kasunod na iba,
nakatago lang sa kahon kung saan memoryado ko pa.


Lahat nang naikwento kong tao mahalaga sa buhay ko, yung iba nakilala ko lang nang husto dahil sa simpleng salita na "kape tayo"
Alam mo na kung bakit importante sakin ang pagkakape?
Alam mo na ang aking sadya?
Kung hindi pa baka hindi mo pa ako kilala. Handa akong magpakilala sayo, makinig sa kwento mo. Nag-aalala ka na baka isulat ko?
Sasabihan kita ng diretso kung oo.
Hindi mo pa ba ako nakasama magkape?
Ngayon pa lang inaanyayahan kita, taos puso kitang iniimbitahan.

"Kape tayo"

Sana sumama ka.
Poetry appreciation piece for my family, friends & coffee buddies
Thomas Morrone Nov 2018
Jar of my teeth
Sitting on the windowsill
Where I sip matcha tea
Rejuvenate maturity

Hear Him rap the door
Tok tik tok
Sixth time this week
Why am I in shock?
Thrives off fossils like me,

Dust in the crevices
Paper for skin
For thirty years
Dead *******

I let Him in
Skulks around the place
Morbid clothes and beard
But a welcoming face.

I sip matcha tea
Last drop in my cup
Shakes his head in pity
Pouring new life
On my infancy

Never any luck,
Offers me lily tea
Resist no more
Brews life inside of me
Fills my lungs with streams
Freeing to not breathe
I lived my life knowing:
That love is blind
That love won't make you fine
That love is merely just distracting

But alas here I am I stand trial
All in the face of love
A victim of love
But with no hint of denial

It is real yes, oh it is such heaven on earth
This love I felt, I feel for real
You made it happen, made me feel
What a lovely day everyday it has been

Everyday you are my cup of tea
Everyday I think of you and me
Everyday there are no worries
Everyday you are my peace, my whole delight

Your hug that i always long for
Each day and each night
You give me your favorite songs
How i long for you, all of the time

Though with every too much sunshine
There is a little rain, a downpour
Oh what a time to be alive
It all went wet, it rained, it poured

But do always remember my love
There's no rainbow without a little rain
Even if the morrow is barren of promises
Nothing shall forestall my return

I'll always bring you with me
Remember oh my dear love
As green as the grass, as blue as the sky
You'll always be my green tea, my hug in a cup

I'll wait for you in a café some day
And some day we'll together drink
That matcha that serves as a memory of I and thee
A matcha of you and me
dedicated this one to my past lover. We had it great, we had it worse. Then decided we live in two different worlds.
if i was a pearl i’d feel itchy scratchy stuck inside an oyster shell if i was a tree i’d  be a big fat redwood fantasizing about Julia Butterfly Hill living and peeing around me if i was a dog i’d be a Catahoula hound if i was Italian i’d be Sicilian if i was pasta i’d be spaghetti if i was Icelandic i’d be Bjork if i was a rock star i’d be Elvis Presley Bob Dylan Jimi Hendrix Jim Morrison John Lennon Bruce Spingsteen Maynard James Keenan if i was i writer i’d be Herman Melville Mark Twain James Joyce William Faulkner Thomas Bernhard Yukio Mishima Naguib Mahfouz Phillip K. **** Gabriel Garcia Marquez Annie Proulx Lydia Davis if i was a poet i’d be Walt Whitman Sylvia Plath Ted Hughes Gwendolyn Brooks Pablo Neruda  Heather McHugh Carl Sandburg Robert Frost Arthur Rimbaud Dante Alighieri Homer if i was a painter i’d be Leonardo Da Vinci Michelangelo da Caravaggio Johan Vermeer Rembrandt van Rijn Paul Cezanne Marcel Duchamp Jackson ******* Mark Rothko Ad Reinhardt Anselm Kiefer Susan Rothenberg if i was a photographer i’d be Man Ray Ansel Adams Edward Weston Diane Arbus Robert Mapplethorpe Sally Mann Helmut Newton Richard Avedon Annie Leibovitz if i was a philosopher i’d be Socrates Plato Aristotle Jean Jacques Rousseau Sören Kierkegaard Immanuel Kant Karl Marx Georg Hegel Friedrich Nietzsche Henry David Thoreau Ralph Waldo Emerson  Jean-Paul Sartre Jean Baudrillard Michel Foucault if i was a singer i’d be Woody Guthrie Otis Redding Grace Slick Bob Marley Joni Mitchell Marvin Gaye Johnny Cash Patsy Cline June Carter Patti Smith Chrissie Hinde Nick Cave P J Harvey Beyonce if i wa a band i’d be Velvet Underground Ramones *** Pistols Clash Cure Smiths Joy Division Uncle Tupelo Pixies Nirvana Nine Inch Nails Madrugada Sigur Ros White Stripes Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra Justice of the Unicorns if i was a boot i’d be Chippewa Frye Ariat Red Wing Tony Lama Wellington if i was a shoe i’d be Christian Louboutin Jimmy Choo Kedds Chaco Chuck Taylor p f flyer if i was a dress i’d be Channel Dolce & Gabbanna Giorgio Armani Marc Jacobs Comme des Garçons if i was a cowboy shirt i’d be H bar C Rockmount Temp Tex Karman Wrangler Levis Strauss Lee if i was a hat i’d be a Stetson Borsalino Stephen Jones if i was a fruit i’d be a mango apple banana blackberry if i was an scent i’d smell like fresh perspiration jasmine sandalwood ylang ylang the ocean if i was a doctor i’d be a gynecologist neurosurgeon if i was a flower i’d be a hibiscus rose orchard if i was a stone i’d be a sparkling ruby diamond opal if i was a knife i’d be a k-bar switch-blade machete if i was a gun i’d be a Remington Winchester Beretta Glock AK-47 if i was a car i’d be a Lamborghini Ferrari BMW Saab Volkswagen GTO Ford Mustang Dodge Challenger if i was a  TV show i’d be Law and Order if i was actor i’d be Charlie Chaplin Humphrey Bogart Steve McQueen Robert De Niro Ed Norton Shawn Penn if i was an actress i’d be Marlene Dietrich Ingrid Bergman Natalie Wood Audrey Hepburn Marilyn Monroe Helen Mirren  Meryil Streep Brigette Fonda Robin Wright Julianne Moore Angie Harmon if i was a female comedian i’d be Gilda Radner Lily Tomlin Nora Dunn Joan Cusack Sarah Silverman Tina Fey if i was a  football player i’d be Sid Luckman George Blanda Walter Payton **** Butkus Mike Singletary Joe Montana Jerry Rice Payton Manning LaDanian Tomlinson  Drew Breeze if i was a celebrity i’d be Charlotte Gainsbourg if i was a rapper i’d be Tupac Shakur if i was a movie director i’d be Sam Peckinpah Robert Altman Stanley Kubrick Roman Polanski Werner Herzog Rainer Fassbinder Louis Bunuel Alfred Hitchcock Jean-Luc Godard François Truffaut if i was a bird i’d be a eagle hawk sparrow bluebird if i was a fish i’d be a dolphin shark narwhal Charlie the tuna if i was breakfast i’d be a French toast pancake folded in half with 2 strips of bacon in between if i was a cold cereal i’d be snap crackle popping rice crispies shredded wheat cheerios oatmeal if i was tea i’d be Japanese green matcha Irish breakfast Tulsi Thai holy basil Lapsang souchong Luzianne Lipton if i was a soap i’d be French hand milled ayurvedic Avon Ivory Dove Pears Aveda  if i was a man i’d be a football basketball baseball tennis swimmer athlete if i was a woman i’d be a track star runner writer painter gardener doctor nurse yoga mom i'm just scratching the surface and the beat goes on lahdy dah dah
Henry Mar 2020
First get out the jar
Mix the matcha and water
And shake it real hard

Fill the jar with ice
Now it's time to add the milk
Shake and shake and taste

The color is good
I hope the milk's not too strong
I added too much

Again? *******
I always add too much milk
Matcha flavored milk

Still, I will drink it
It's better than if it was plain
Next time for sure though
3/28/20
lilpoiein Nov 2014
***, hot water, whisking,
smoothly blended, tea bowl, spring,
tea garden, thick, quiet.
haiku
Block I.
I came to see you yesterday
Just what I was hoping for
You haven't changed a bit
You still taste
Like iced matcha green tea
But today
Your trickle is just about to start
And your iced matcha green tea
Now warming up
Since you betrayed me
Turning hot
For another woman
Her name is Rain
So I'm leaving you
You will always be real to me
But I've got something else
To replace you for now
His name is Cape
Just like you
A long story
And a desirous body
Lunar Oct 2016
not many people favor
the flavor
of the green tea latte
sweet from the start
with a slight bitter aftertaste
as the matcha on your tongue fades

i remember the time
we went to your favorite cafe
and you commented on how your
green tea latte
was a little sweeter than the usual
and now i comment how
it is a little more bitter
compared to when i had it with you

the green tea latte
is my memory of you
sweet—for every time
we sat in that same spot
sipping the warm green drink
and bitter— for the moment
i drank my
green tea latte
alone
hmm i hadn't had green tea latte in a looong time and i missed the flavor so much but!! i now associate GTLs with Clara, my bud who's with a PhD in Loving Green Tea Lattes. If i were to visit clara in hk i bet we'd go to her fav cafe to have a GTL. and also i'd prolly cry bc she's real in front of me.

It was in literature class when i randomly wrote this.  I'm sorry I wrote a poem while we studied another poem, Literature Professor.
aar505n Sep 2014
Detox yourself of impurities.
Box away those
pretty poisons polluting your soul.
Matcha tea will only help so much.
Matching the gentle touch
once felt
but have since melted away.
Got to deal with the cards
that have been dealt today
But what if,
I am less than an ace?
What if,
I am dead?
Then I am nothing.
Or
is that just
the toxic thoughts talking?
It's hard to tell these days.
comments and criticism welcomed!
FL Jun 2019
You’re the matcha latte I drink in the afternoon
A sweet smile with a bitter aftertaste
Too nice to be rude to me directly
I become lost in the misdirection

You’re the matcha latte I drink in the afternoon
I like it warm but you let it go cold
And that’s not what I asked for
Yet you keep me on hold

You’re the matcha latte I drink in the afternoon
It’s a waste of money and time
But it’s something to do
While I’m waiting in line
Shiennina Marae Aug 2015
Imagine seeing me one day after 15 years of not talking to each other. It will be on a local coffee shop where they have the best matcha drink one can ever dream of. You are sitting on the farthest end of the room, with an art book in hand; earphones blasting indie electronic songs you have been listening to u purposely use earphones to let people leave you alone. You dive in the world of art. Breathing heavily, you gasp for some air. You lift your head up to take a sip of your drink, and right when you’re ready to read again, you get distracted of a familiar voice.

I’ll be wearing jeans and my favorite A Rocket to the Moon shirt I got from their last concert. Earphones blasting their songs. A book in my hand, a pen and some paper. You smile upon hearing I got the same drink as you, watch me sat down on the corner, immediately opening my book (carefully).

You will watch me for some time and realize it’s just creepy so you gather up all your things and your courage, come up to me and say hi. But you stop and settle in the table next to me. I see you and tears water my eyes. You choke on your bagel. I stand up, sit next to you and say hi. You see the book I’m reading. It’s your favorite Dr. Seuss book. You will give me a look and I’ll start laughing. I will try to stop to tell you “I told you I read one page everyday.”

After that conversation, we will stay in touch. Not just in words but with actions. We will rekindle the love I believe never died. It will be a rocky adventure, but we will make it. We will go on roadtrips, blasting old Passion Pit songs. We will fulfil every promise we made when we were still in college. We will visit every island there is to explore. We will travel. Together. We will grow.

One day, I will wake up with the smell of pancakes you’re cooking for me. I will eagerly get up, shower you with kisses before I brush my teeth, and ask you if we have orange juice for breakfast. You will laugh (oh, that heavenly sound) and kiss me, saying, “You never liked orange juice. That is not welcome in our home.” I will pull you close and tell you, “You called it home, not house. That’s something.”

Soon enough, I will see you with our four-year-old wearing a unicorn onesie like yours, reading to her the Dr. Seuss book you gave me when we started our pause. You will fall asleep faster than she does, she will try to wake you up, I will stop her. I will tuck her in and carry you back to our room. I will watch you, and try to wake you. You will snore for a second, pull me in and tell me it’s time for bed.

I will whisper words before cuddling you to sleep again: “It was a rocky start, love, but I want to believe that it will get better. I’m going to make sure I’ll still be there to see it. I actually am seeing it now. If one draws attention to our cracks, they will just see colors that glued this wonderful piece together. We started with hickeys and matching shirts, let us end up with a shared surname. Can I just end with this note: Loving you feels very close to flying. Tomorrow I will ask you to marry me, I hope you say you will.”
We're on pause but for now, let us fast forward. (Love your word play, self.)
Lunar Aug 2017
warm weathers with a warmer heart:
i stretched out my arms
and embraced her with all i am.
this girl threw an ocean of words,
of images, of emotions, and even of silence at me
over a mango shake, kimchi fishcake,
and a pair of hot matcha lattes.
she challenged me to a doodle dare
when i told her i don't draw humanity,
as much as i wanted to draw her right there on the spot.
let's draw those people on that side of the cafe
ah, a people-watching activity!
just our kind of hobby that immerses us within society
while being in our own little world!
i noticed she draws people first
then the background according to the proportions of the persons;
yes, a people-watcher observing another people-watcher
unlike me who starts off with the walls and furniture of the space.
she drew the ovals for body proportions;
her pencil marks done gently, focused and magnified,
much like how she holds herself up.
thus we were satisfied with unfinished sketches
and incomplete acapella song covers;
and it definitely was a finished day–
complete with her presence,
photographs taken with cameras and our memory's eyes,
inside jokes about boys and talks about life outside.
the sun is getting lower
as the hour hand is getting higher.

Time continues but we paused.
So I'm up for another round with you, Lou.
ONE HUG OR TWO OR THREE ISNT ENOUGH

here's to my friend loubear aka 1/2 of lou-nar
I wish you all the best in SHS!
Welcome to the campus!!!
I love you and I miss you already~

(j.m.)
misha Dec 2022
i sit in the coffee shop
writing poetry on a brown napkin
with a purple gel pen
remembering how my life was saved
by a cup of tea
beckoning me
out of my messy bed
out of my summer-sad head
and into the real world
with all its simple beauty
earthy warm green tea
but also
the hydrangeas in bloom
on the way home
and the little ladybug
hitching a ride on my shoe
Justine Apr 2017
Let's do things out of randomness,
Without a reason.

Let’s wake up at 7am,
and join the grandparents at tai chi.
Let’s go to animal shelters and volunteer,
Let’s wake up at 4am,
and go to the nearest convenient store,
just to have our favourite matcha ice cream.

*Let's do us.
maggie W Jan 2017
This time last year, it was cloudy as today.
But I was about to meet you at Vigilante.

It was not raining, I wore my favorite blouse and my hear was beating so fast.

We took the porch seats, we talked as I got lost in your hazel green eyes.
Yeah we should go to the aquarium you said.

I had matcha and you had latte, you and your orioles cap.

We talked about the future  the presence and the past.

Now we are part of each other's past. You called me a romantic and
yes I am. That's why I'm writing again here.

In April we will go the the ball game and celebrate your birthday.

But when can I show you this poem, in a month or a year?
To Jake.1/2/2016-11/29/2016
Robin Carretti Jun 2023
Being optimistic words
hitting chords drowning
  Overboard smooth sailing
     Poetic-  words
    Reassuring
                        believing

  Time moves on being

             Hopeful*
   Fresh start  makeup
             Achieving
   Tea-  Rose colored
     Big city- crowded
   Scattered-love tainted
But he has you in his arms
  Before you fainted

      Animation  
Love 3D promising
Relationships
Can be poisoning
  Missing family
    Divineness
    Ma- Ma Da Da
Smile when your heart is aching

I Gotcha  mind and body
    
What's inside two
hearts beat or breaking

      I  Gotcha!
Love in the making
 
    Oh! Susanna
Won't you play a beat
Banjo on his knee

Politician I -Gotcha
Ha -ha
Crimes and leaks
New technology
Longevity - Global
Mentality Longevity

A fake world or true- reality
*       *       *    
I- Gotcha

Now! give me Starbucks Matcha- Latte
Do we get it or it creeps up on us like a fun gadget or lets do the math in digits
Its hits you by surprise I -Gotcha
Sarah Michelle Aug 2020
Am I doing it right?
I took a bath with eight capfuls of eucalyptus bubble soap
Instead of the recommended four.
I ran the water fever hot.
I wonder how long that feeling will last on my skin.
It doesn’t last long.
The next day,
I read a poem about this bath
To my creative writing class.
Call that vulnerability.
Gold star for me and my vulnerability.
I make tea with my vulnerability,
And sometimes I let other people sniff the fumes—
Raspberry-pomegranate-flavored-matcha-green—
But I never make a full ***
Because I guess I don’t want anyone else
to burn their tongues on my scalding vulnerability.


They like my poem, I think.
I don’t really listen to their response,
Am glad when it’s over.
I answer their questions about it without
Really answering their questions.
I don’t think they notice.
As for me,
I absorb their comments like vitamins
And, as such, the excess is filtered out
In the middle of the night when I’m trying to sleep.
When I do sleep, I try badly to stay awake,
When I must sleep, I am kept awake by various physical sensations,
Which I may complain about on Twitter
(Gold star for my vulnerability)
But maybe not, because I’m trying to detox,
And by that I mean I’ll stare
At Duolingo, the Atlantic, YouTube and Netflix,
Instead of Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok and Snapchat,
And when I talk about it to my friends,
I feel the need to compare myself to an addict
in rehab
to get over heroine.
Because, in my mind, they are the same thing.
Call that empathy. Gold star for me and my empathy.

Am I doing it right yet?
This poem makes me feel good,
When I write something that makes me feel good,
I feel as though I could be talented.
But do I like myself for it?
If I get too cocky I might have to cut my own **** off,
Cut myself down to size.
But it’s no use, my ego haunts me
Like a bad childhood memory.
I didn’t feel guilt for the first time until I was fifteen.
It took that long
To feel sorry for pruning the leaves on my relationships,
until the plants disappeared
And I forgot what species they were.
Even now that I have friends I can admire,
Can I be trusted not to rate myself more highly?
Call that self-confidence.
Goldstar for me and my self-confidence.


When I get home from work,
I take another bath, hotter than before, with wine.
The wine and the heat make me dizzy, which is good
Because I can’t fall asleep unless I’m dizzy.
But later I will not be able to sleep
because this is my third hot bath in a row,
it’s winter, and my skin is so dry that it will itch and burn
As if every fabric I touch were made of fire ants.
But for now
I am comforted.
Call that self-care. Gold star for my self-care.
More of a participation trophy, really.
seb Oct 2018
under your toes there's crushed dandelions, and soft, wet grass. the storm clouds swirl, and your pink drink fizzes near my hip.

you're lying flat on your back, next to my side. extended, lithe, pasty skin, and wearing your favorite sunglasses.

it's not sunny, but 'it's too bright.' you point at the glasses sliding on your nose, nails white, unlike the clouds in the sky.

you giggle, hoist yourself up, and curl in. pretzel-like, wrapped up, positioned right beside me.

your cat stares at us from the inside, and i could start to wonder what that must feel like, but you're humming a song i faintly recognize.

i lift the fizzy drink to my lips, and sip.

a twisted grin forms on your lips. 'you always take what isn't yours, princess.' maybe you're wrong though. maybe i never take enough.

you took a photo of me a while ago, under a willow tree, i'm all dimples and orange light leaks.

a fragment of who i want to be captured by you.

you took that photo from me. for a fact, it's lost in a pile, in your shoebox, of what you miss or what you never want to see.

let me get this straight: i never liked him, i loved you.

those iced matcha lattes, scattered laughter, angry outbursts followed by oceans poseidon could not fathom.

i don't hold grudges, but you do. i'll never get you back, because someone else has filled in your softer pieces.

filled in places where i carelessly splattered paint, in hopes you could pick out colors and make something beautiful.

i can almost hear your voice, 'god, she was a mess. all i have left is a broken heart.'

i might write about you forever, i might give up, it's pointless to romanticize sunglasses and your pointed remarks.

i'll stop.

just know, i think about that day a lot. your cat watching, your band t shirt, the lime green vans, fizzy drink at my hip, scattered storms.

or the time you drew a smiley face on a sandwich with mustard, or when we stole your dad's whiskey, and i finally melted into your mouth.

and yes, now,  i'll officially say, i took too much.

goodbye, my sweetest love.
Mitch Prax Aug 2022
JOY
I still daydream about you,
and I feel my soul jump for JOY
from country to country to chase you.
The smile you put on my face
as wide as the space between us
when we are not together.  
I can still feel this JOY
through that space-
it fills me up like a cup of matcha
on all those nippy nights without you.
What a miracle it was
to have crossed paths with you-
a bright star in what was
an empty void.
kain Jan 2023
I miss walking to your car
Wildly undressed
For the weather
As always
Yet radiant in the snow
Always scanning the backs of cars
For your Illinois plate
Reminded every time
That you’re a city kid
Probably much too cool for me

You step outside your car
Even though it’s cold
And you’re stepping into slush
The crud that cakes up in the parking lot
I miss seeing your face
That catlike smile
As I speed walk across asphalt
Smiling myself
Hard enough to make my cheeks sore
But there’s not a care in the world
When I crash into your arms

The air is cold but you are warm
My heart gets wrapped up
In a tight cocoon of you
Then we break and you say
We should get in your car
It’s cold and I left my coat again
Then I’m in your passenger seat
You’re offering me matcha candy
Or maybe just looking at me
With those bedroom eyes
Dark behind your glasses
Yet lit up all the same

I miss that sweet first kiss
The soft heat of your lips
Pressed up against mine
Gentle and hungry
A restrained fever of want
Given away by your hand on my cheek
Thumb tracing across my lips when you pull back
Gazing at me like I’m something
To be savored
Cherished and mouthed at
The tender want in your eyes
That I miss
The moment you look away
Three days babygirl <3
Aubrey Aug 2019
let’s climb the roof and watch the sunrise together
he smiled and didn’t forget the coffee or doughnuts

let’s go to the beach in our bathing suits, sun kissed glow and wine coolers
he nodded in agreement and went to start the car

let’s eat pancakes lathered in maple syrup and hot butter
he walked out wearing pj’s

let’s ride all the roller coasters and munch on candied apples
he was the first one in line

let’s have chinese on the hood of the car because the day was a bad one
he made sure i had room for matcha mochi ice-cream in the end

let’s go to the nearest museum on a Sunday morning
he didn’t complain he had bought them the night before

let’s have brunch downtown before anyone wakes up
he brought me to a place where omelettes came in the shape of hearts

let’s watch Sinister on a Friday night minutes before midnight rolls around
he held my hand throughout the whole thing

let’s head out and have a spa day
he agreed to a ****** and pedicure

let’s stay at home, bake sweets and talk by the fire
he taught me the secret to his chunky chocolate chip cookies

let’s sit on the porch and count the stars
he held me tight and told me that i looked beautiful

let’s promise to love, care, cherish and trust each other forever he said
i smiled and knew i had met the one.
A.
the one.
Annie Oct 2022
Golden threads sink behind eyes
A marionette, diving from damp leaves
which crack my new flats on the pavement.

Now rose-freckled, I’m reminded
of spackled nails on
shoulderblades

My cheeks tight, sun-roasted,
heady from new sangria.
Your hair stings my face, swift as forgetting.

Crackling with charisma
I examine you examine her
soft-eyed and hard-hearted.

Sinking in silence
like mushed matcha coating an overpriced glass
her translucent hem spinning and spinning.
10-12-22
An image association prompt. With thanks to Hopkins (obviously), Plath, and Victoria Chang.
HA Aug 2017
I drink so much tea
My skin smells like earl grey and looks like milk chai and cream.

I wanna soak myself every day like leaves,
Dip into a cool pond and come out relieved.

It's true I'm sweetest in the spring,
Covered in chamomile and lulled by honey bees . . .

. . . And I might become icy in the summer breeze.
(You see, these old roots don't hold all too well in the heat.)

I always did admire history:
Adornments hard and pure as ancient Mercury's wings

—But you can imbue me as you please!
Poison me with toxins and hasten it with steam . . .

It's well known I live to heed;
I'll alter myself to be the cure that you need.

And, sure, these porcelain bones may become stained with fauna green
(I'll admit there's matcha in my veins, there's envy flowing serene);

But for all my flowery undertones and speech
Maybe all I've ever wanted was to be consumed with clarity.
audrey Aug 4
when people said “i love you” but i said, “i adore him to the point i thank him for existing”

when people said "i love you" but i said, "i would recognise his odor in thousands of crowd"

when people said "i love you" but i said, "he is the first thing that i mention through my prayers"

when people said "i love you" but i said, "my brain refuses to think about anything but you"

when people said "i love you" but i said, "it's crazy how my mind leads to you to every love song that is playing"

when people said "i love you" but i said, "he is the first thing i reminisce to every matcha store i stumbled upon"

when people said "i love you" but i said, "i would spot his footsteps in a muddy dark forest"

when people said "i love you" but i said, "i learn how to cook for him where these dishes are crafted with love"

when people said "i love you" but i said, "i have been adjusted to be all ears for him when the whole world turned him down"

when people said "i love you" but i said, "i don't want him to translate. i would speak his language, i want learn the language of his soul"
Annie Jan 20
Golden threads sink behind eyes
A marionette, diving from damp leaves
which crack my flats on the pavement.

Now rose-freckled, I’m reminded
of spackled nails on
shoulderblades

My cheeks tight, sun-roasted
heady from new sangria.
Your hair stings my face, swift as forgetting.

Soft-eyed and hard-hearted
I examine you examine her
crackling with charisma

Sinking in silence,
like mushed matcha coating an overpriced glass
her translucent hem spinning and spinning.

— The End —