| REMINISCING ON SILENCE'S END |
the deafening silence called for another tune
and the room was getting hotter
i lifted the curtains only to view the sunset and
with only minutes to spare, i caught a glimpse of it
as the image left me... uncertain.
the empty chairs seem to wave at me
as a breeze teasingly moves the curtains
now changing colors with the twilight
but will the moon shine tonight?
will there be stars?
then there was a light touch
and i thought it was just a dream
i felt someone, or something like flowers--
pinching myself, i opened my eyes in awe
as you came closer to hug me... once again.
i forgot how warm your hugs were
yet they were imposingly true and crisp
and as we looked into each other's eyes
we held hands and we kissed
longer than we have ever done before.
(dec. 11, 1999)
|
| THE ROSE |
the foggy night smiles at me
as i light up the path to the glorified mist
willfully adjusting its sights to see
the now mellowed sighs
of the nocturnal interlude that was once...
i open my eyes only to discover
that the moon has gone behind the clouds
as if hiding from my touch
and like the wonderful thrill of life, i can cry
only to be happy.
and again, i do find
some things are better left unsaid
like i have said so many times before
and when the enormous task of fulfilling
promises creeps through your spine
i know that you'll be there
to see the light burn some more.
as i make the pour
i shall watch the bubbles stir the mixture
only to dissatisfy a craving that can dissolve
the precipitates of a woeful evening
precariously perched in the seclusion
of a dream.
i prop my head up once more
only to find out that it keeps falling down
to meet the table
and with the soft thud of a forehead
i look up again... to drink some more.
then i smiled
only to let a tear clear a path towards
my cheek.
(oct. 22, 1999)
A SILENT SCREAM
then the heavens start to cry
with sobs impregnating the silence
of the morning
as i wipe yet another tear off my cheek
so sublime, so real.
i seem to have lost touch
almost armless, almost gone awry
and bewitched by the pouring rain
only to let grow a rose,
and a smile.
your half-closed window seems so inviting
but i see none but a faint shadow and a tinted wish
with gentle breezes of sighs from long before
when the line was continuously bridging the gap
from sea to shining sea.
the thoughtless enigma of creativity
tries to withstand the force of the storm
as it slashes through soft gorges and painless cries.
my head snapped back,
trying to visualize the dream
and as i wished once more that time will come
when wishes come true even without christmas.
the voice is now a falsetto as i grasp for yet another tone
to express a feeling of unknown depth
unseen by you, unheard by me.
then i heard somebody scream!
(1997)
SO FAR AWAY
i know i will never reach the stars
they're distant and almost unforgiving
but i know i can always reach you
for you're always there in good times
and in bad
sometimes i feel like my heart will overflow
when i think of you more than i am supposed to
but would you blame me if i do?
tell me how to win your heart
for i haven't got a clue
believe me when i say
words are never enough when dreams
alone try to validate the twinkles
of a distant star.
(jan. 8, 2000)
SOMETIMES
you
are split between the seams
but oh, the river could run dry
and ruin the ground.
still a rain dance could negotiate
a change of heart
and the will to survive
a barren earth,
a dying soul.
its demise could bring forth
a new meaning to a word
said so nonchalantly each time
a chord is found
yet song unsung.
can't forget when rain was wet
and rivers generate power to supply
a generation with misty eyes
instead of plain laughter
unheard for centuries
but now what would matter next?
you.
(1997)
SOMEWHERE IN TIME
beyond the three mountains lie
an enormous wonder,
almost too awesome to comprehend
with mere brains and brawn
without sacrificing a sense of sensitivity
as fools try to untangle the spider’s web
and proceed with a calculated risk
of losing it in return.
breaking a promise, or a nail
never proves anything and without the will
to survive the lyrics of undaunted poems
and broken chords,
life as it is can be just as meaningful
even when worlds collide
to armageddon.
the tunnel will always be there:
the souls, the memories, the walks in the sand,
the shrieks of a seemingly endless summer
all abrupty ceased
but they were really there, “frozen”--
somewhere in time.
(feb. 4, 1999)
SO TRUE
the flame flickered
as the wind picked up dust from long ago
and although it's only been two centuries
the stuck palm tree just can't bear fruit
as if the desert whispered nonchalant woes...
then the rains came
angrily drenching the paper mache
made for one invisible figure, marching on
to oblivion
as if untied from the crevasse of life
unnoticed by the gentle puff of dust
kicked by an unforgiven shoe...
and there it was:
the cloud came to save the crops
saved from the devastating storm
during an uncharted trip to the deep abyss
of a ghost ship named "titanic"
so bold, so unsure, so true...
(april 12, 1998)
SPREAD YOUR WINGS AND FLY
leaning over the side of wits
i crooned for an eagle to fly above
obtuse terrain that for the last millennium
has withered every disaster
though they weren't actually
as destructive as a paper cut
affixed by indelible memories of you.
there appear clouds
amid the burnished sky as the sunset
invites the northern wind gusts
and release whiffs of cold air
and you were one
who can erase wrinkles off the arid fields
now resting for the next rainfall.
the barbed wires speak truthfully
with ease as curtains sway with the breeze
only to dissipate the heat
brought about by the friction of souls
with words unspoken
freely as if eagles dare fly over
when you are with me.
(june 26, 1998)
SPRING RHYTHM
oftentimes i wonder if it rains on a sunny day
and whether the moon shines behind the dark clouds
i see the nocturnal ebbs and flows
as the will to entertwine wits can be called upon
to exercise the rule of friendship as seen from
the eyes of an unspoken figure.
accompanied by the chirps of late night birds
i came upon the dotted shadow that lurked
into the bright sunshine
then words came flying into the screen as if
moondust has been sown in obsession
but oh it was you who made it all happen.
a similar path, a common practice, a wink
were all that conglomerated upon an anonymous link
that created a conversation almost untold to be true
as words tangled and poured over a cup of coffee--
blended with justified friendship,
topped by an aroma with a southern accent.
the first sip i will always cherish
as i have cherished life as i have known it
and with the very sense of laughter and joy
i climb unto the ladder of amazement upon which
people are judged by what words come out
from their thoughts.
(may 9, 1999)
THE SUMMER WILLOW
the tangential cries of autumn
pierce into the dead of summer
as the erosion takes place quietly
and accrues all the silt and mud
destined to empower the untamed.
the collapsing bridge stood up after
the moon encouraged the evil spirits
to descend upon the dogs of peace
as the uneven treads of arousal
get crimped upon the pleats of life.
the rains made the rivers swell
and overflow their banks
and now they have to empty an enormous amount
of baptismal liquid, now conforming with the flow
of monolithic lava from the deepest soul.
now the volcano has to erupt again,
awakened by careless whispers and moans
from a nearby lake
that used to be called home by nocturnal birds
yet unnamed in this century,
but who are we to baptize them when we can falter
at the faintest cry of dear mother?
(aug. 31, 1998)
TAKE IT
as if the moon was trying to hide behind the clouds
and as the night continues to gloom
the intricacies of life simply descend further
to elope with an untimely trip towards
the cocoon of an unending scene
that drives the will to do uncertain things
unwanted for long
as if tattered and lost long time ago.
the book opens and its pages show
thoughts and words
gently constructed from life's tortuous path
winding through time as if it stood still once
only to let grow a friendship
long forgotten, unspoken of.
my head turns to the right
only to undo the coiled springs of wisdom
caressed by the waves of summer
diligently washing away the woes of boredom
unsolicited by the sight of joy
and undaunted by those who still care
about life.
(aug. 30, 1998)
TELL ME
the misty day arrived in full uniform
standing in the midst of the monsoon season
when the footprints of summer flowed to the gutters
bringing with them the core of pain
but only lasted till midmorning
when the swells arrive to signal a change
in the weather
only to let grow a smile from pale lips
that dried with the death of a tree
so loved and cared for
by the pristine beach unwilling to let go
beyond the unforgiven wish of two.
then a cloud appeared with a hug
so tight you can't compare
torture from love as clenched fists
relax only to let another face break
a smile.
the fog cleared and there it was--
one plant ready to sprout as if the rains
have miraculously speeded up the natural
to rush the love one needed
to simply "survive."
(june 17, 1999)
THIN SMILES
with gentle brush strokes
the artist cut yet another surprising gesture
with the willingness of a princess who
needs only a smile to send one to curtsy
but the lowly wail of the nocturnal bird
deafens the night and pierces the black sky
with so much tremor
that i can just smile just as well.
words connive with the mind
in an almost unwanted embrace--
the lights turn off by themselves as if
a magical touch amorously takes over
to fulfill the thrust of the waves coming to shore
kissing the footprints left behind
when the season just began to usher new hope
for those who smile more.
(july 16, 1999)
THREE SUMMERS
the santa ana winds swept through
the desert
amid ruins of palpable laughter
the caressing shades of gray dutifully blocked
the sun, leaving only a strip of beach
for us to play on, undisturbed
untouched by the rhythmic sobs of waves
now rising above treetops.
then a book came flying
and as the yellowed pages flapped open
i saw a tint of hope
with a wishful thinking about stolen moments
now rectified by the unsung tunes of the day
when we were small kids
playing barefoot in the sand.
the dream went on to the tunnel
and we brushed off cobwebs from the previous meeting
then we laughed till we cried no more
as we found ourselves looking for lost footprints
as if the storm has stopped
amidst our extreme desire to let grow a tree
on this barren region.
but we knew the earth will move on
perhaps in some other form--
but only us can tell as stars form
yet another season of old friends
reliving the past as if we never met before
and we did.
(june 24, 1999)
THE TUNNEL AT TWILIGHT?
the world slows down to meet
me where i lost a leg when the war
came without justifying the havoc that
rendered the air worse than mortal sin
despite the prayers and the convoluted
arguments and
the will to face the crowd.
then the terminal song plays unstoppably
as if the earth's rotation has changed
direction and now
with outstretched arms i bow before
the solemnized songs, the italicized face
of summer now fading,
i still admire the sun as it sets into--
the twilight zone.
(sept. 9, 1999)
TWO LIPS
i turned my head away from the screen
as if avoiding the glare
but with a sigh i fought to keep my eyes open
and as my fingers crept through the keys
i wondered if there will be another you.
then you were there, watching the debate
over insensible things now oblivious
of the presence of an untamed mind
lost into the wilderness of woes
gently scraping away old memories as if
new ones would emerge.
with full force of an unwilling soul
i found myself struggling to say
the right words
only to the trained ear of one
who can sift through my life without undue rupture
and the wreckage of all who come in
and watch me dance
selflessly, with you.
(sept. 7, 1999)
THE UBIQUITOUS YOU
i see you whenever i see a beautiful flower
peeking its way out of petals
with fresh morning dew reflecting the sunlight
in my eyes.
i see love everytime i "see" you
and with feeling i say words you want to hear
and in an almost deafening silence
we wink at each other
as if we are face to face
and say the same things
over and over.
(mar. 16, 1998)
UNIQUE
the dusty table rests on a dirty floor
but no complaints were heard
just the squeaks and rattles ringing
someone's ears
painstakingly troubled by the chirping swallows
visiting from south end
across the ocean near my home
troubled waters carry a tune--
something heard, sung, hummed
as twists and turns of unruly propositions
stir the soul
spread the word as if it's never there
the month before.
so dazzlingly unique, that table is.
(jan. 12, 2000)
UNSPOKEN
on nights like this
i climb unto my bed as if there's no tomorrow
i count my fingers as if i missed one
as i walked through each day
without you
even the easiest words to say
are difficult to manage as i try
to compose myself warily like a child
but there seems to be a wonder in you
that no matter how dreadful a day can be
it's no surprise that the worries collide with gladness
and the songs remain as they should be
to serenade a soul, to wipe a tear
to console and to strengthen the ties
that bind people who care about each other
despite the oblivious feeling that floats
into the deepest tunnels
and emotion-filled windows of opportunity
as we try to utter words
never heard before... unspoken of.
(jan. 5, 2000)
THE UNSUNG PROPOSITION
the overflowing spring empties
into the cup of benevolence
and yet the dreams keep coming
quicker than the dream catcher
can handle.
the wits, the arguments, the reasonings--
are within the realm of integrity
coupled with the delicate balance of
mutual discomfort.
the broken promises and dreams
indicate a continuous flow of amorous words
although some could be left unsaid
without thinking that a surplus
of winks and sighs can never justify
the ingredients of a truer complexity.
(may 27, 1999)
