The Becoming of Storm

You have been exceedingly silent
for the whole Summer
I am not sure why
but you really scare me
I have tiptoed around you
just to keep the peace
And yet the awkwardness is so apparent
even the blowfish in the tank
gives me that ‘You are in trouble, lady!’ look

Falling asleep has become
more and more labouring
Those rolling grunts is fast approaching
I am trying to meditate it away
but my heartbeat betrays me
by increasing frantic waves of convulsion

Eventually
I am violently woken in pain
induced by the whipping
of holy thorns
on my vulnerable flesh
my blood is lightning silver
perfect for the charging storm

Wordsmith Apprentices

A collaboration with Benjamin Grossman

This daily script interferes
with any royal mood
leaving abstract smiles
upon the observer’s space

Each piece reaches the other
with startling ponder
shaking up their normality
signaling the writer’s psyche
demanding a daily dose of encouragement

The bond sparked small
a distant curiosity sated by the choreography of words
a budding denial received confirmation in plain sight
an uncultivated heart given wings to ascend
an untamed mind flew over the boundary beyond the intellectual elasticity

Disturbing Event

That Summer was so hot.
Grass in the backyard choked
our footsteps.

Lying in bed next to you,
the loud crickets relentlessly
held me off of sleep.

I remembered
the panic in your voice,
‘Did you hear that?
They are coming for us.
Stay still!
They won’t find us.’
You struggled with the locust plague.
We hid underneath the blanket
on a 30 degree night.

Your panic
and the cricket midnight party
went on and on.
My brain shut down
and I slumbered into sleep.

‘Did you smell that?
They are cooking opium again
next door.’
The smell of smoke
stang my eyes to wake.

I sprang up from bed
to rush out to the garden.
The backyard was like
an abandoned camp site
in the daybreak.

You went in the ambulance
laughing in exhilaration,
‘I burned the fuckers.
Don’t you fucking mess with me.
No fucking plague under my watch.
I’m gonna get you,
you piece of shit
reincarnated
opium dealer,
undercover
fucking neighbour.’

That’s how that hot summer ended.

Photograph of painting of a man by Aarón Blanco Tejedor

Always with me

I wanted to write
something romantic
on Valentine’s Day

The performance pressure
ate up
my little brain

I wrote nothing
for you
needlessly to say

I thought to myself today
what is the one thing
to give up
that I will hate

Caffeine
caffeine
and caffeine

Then it daunted
on me
you are
my coffee keep cup
who accompanies me
from the moment I wake
to the moment
I close the curtain of
the daily play

It’s Too Late to Apologise

Your apology came so late,
after I managed to swim
to shore
to escape drowning.

Remember?
I used to plead with you
“I am drowning.
Move your hand aside
so my head
can stay above the water
just a bit.”

I was sure that
you heard me,
although I was quiet.
I thought
we spoke
a common language.

I fought every day
to save my breath
to fight another day.
I sank into
darker and darker places
where I slumbered by day
and slept by night.

In having lost
all consciousness,
you no longer
had a grip
on me.
That’s when
I started
to float,
then swam
away from you
to safety.

 

fashion photography of woman hands on chin with glitter makeup
Photo by 3Motional Studio on Pexels.com

A Tribute to Spam Followers

Mrs and Mr Vitamins,
I am progressively
and gracefully aging.
I enjoy minimalist lifestyle,
plentiful vitamins intake
on my daily plates.
What you have on offer
are excessive.
The only way out is
to urinate into the porcelain bowl,
in the same way,
I moved you to the spam folder
and eliminated you from my
minimalist Follower list.

Moonlit Night

Translation collaboration with Alan Steinle

Moonlit Night is the collaborated translation of a classic Chinese poem (月夜) written by Du Fu 杜甫 (712 – 770), a prominent Chinese poet of the Tang dynasty. 

月夜 月夜 Moonlit Night
今夜鄜州月 今夜鄜州月 The moon shines brightly on Fuzhou tonight;
閨中衹獨看 闺中只独看 Alone in her room, she looks at the light;
遙憐小兒女 遥怜小儿女 She pities her children, so far from their dad;
未解憶長安 未解忆长安 She misses Chang’an—she’s lonely and sad;
香霧雲鬟濕 香雾云鬟湿 Her long supple hair with perfume is sprayed;
清輝玉臂寒 清辉玉臂寒 The clear moon shines on cool arms of jade;
何時倚虛幌 何时倚虚幌 When, near the curtain, will our hearts soar?
雙照淚痕乾 双照泪痕干 We’ll sit in the moonlight, tears falling no more!

Blessings

The Living Poetry prompt

I gave you sunshine
You didn’t see it

I gave you moonlight
You didn’t appreciate it

I gave you children’s laughter
You got annoyed

I gave you a sweet someone
You complained when would the one come

I gave you a loyal puppy
You said there was too much work

You let all the blessings pass by
Now you cry to me like an orphan
‘God are you ever there?’

Minimalist

A collaboration with Jonathan Swift Pines

There are things she sees are pretty
They go beyond her basic needs

The sun is warm and cheery
Too much of it
freckles gather on her cheeks

Charming freckles, like those on a child
whose innocent heart would burst with a smile

The rain is soothing and musical
Too much of it
sadness floods on her soul

Raindrops can harmonize with memories
Too many and the mind is adrift

The world of art is beautiful and enchanting
Too much of it
inadequacy breaks down her creativity

Happiness makes her vulnerable
The more she has, the more she has to lose

There are so many lows after the highs
When all that is stripped away
She realises how much satisfaction
she has in a mundane life

Thank God You Are Alive

I don’t know
how do people live with
not knowing
if their love one
is alive or dead

I can only imagine
they are like a blowfish
keeps every possibility inside

I have been like that
for the last few days
until today
I come to know that
you are alive

This news is like
a gentle hand
gives me permission
to cry

I can only imagine
the other news
would be like a knife
stabs and twists
all the possibilities
to bleed out