I wake up to birdsongunder duvets of fine cottonStaring at the blue skyIn nightgowns of silk and chartreuseLike in the books of royalty- I pick up strawberries from untouched fieldsMy dress cupped under berriesTo be spread as jam over bites of sweet toastTo feed to the nymphs and fairiesLike in the books of woodland fairies- I hunt through old boughs and willowsTristing through the briars as I runTo the secret place that the world doesn’t knowOf hollowed caves and forest clearingsLike in the books of adventure- The trees whisper to me in secretDotting the floor with dappled sunlightSparkling with rays […]
Phases
The rain drags in heavy bursts, pellets on the roof,and the quiet clinks of folk music sound from downstairs,Kapok trees swaying outside the dirty glass.But when she looks up at the skythe moon, half-cuppedTippingstares back at her. The wind shifts the grains of sand against walls,Clouds of dust billow from the groundSilence surrounds the open desert plainbut when he looks up at the skythe moon, half-cuppedTipping precariouslystares back at him. The pull of the tides rumbles in the distance,Their salty scent balancing on the humid airWaves crashing against weakening rockBrushing against the white-washed brickbut when he looks up at the […]
Dirty
The sky was the blue-black of the deep oceanIts edges tinged with soft blue by the horizonAnd I wheel by in my Toyota CelicaThe pale full moon up in the sky“Look for the lucky rabbit in the moon”I hearI cannot find it. The rabbit is hidden beneath the rising plumes of smokeWhy are you so dirty?I ask him silentlyWhy is your pale face speckled with gray?Why are you smudged with black?Why do the clouds of ash and fumes hide your white light?He doesn’t answer me. I look for his friends in the skyThe blue black once dotted with starsIs now […]
Grandmother
Grandmother sits on her porchUnder the wind chimes, in her blue cardigan,Crochet needles clicking in her hands.And she watches the sun set over the playgroundWhere the young children yell.She watches Anna shake her head at Zabir,Who threw the sand a little too highShe watches Mark crash his trucks again and againAnd watches Maya wail when her doll snaps.Grandmother smiles to herself softly.That was her a while ago. Grandmother sits on her porchThe wind chimes are still and her blue dress hangs,Knitting needles dancing in her fingers.She watches the sky darken over the playgroundWhere the children talkShe watches Anna complain of […]
Older
I blew out candles, 9-years old,The wax relighting itself, fire burning again,And within the white light above the cake, I thought;“halfway there”,Halfway there to adulthood.Halfway there to freedom.Halfway there to life. Or so I thought.When I threw the cap on my graduation day,11-years-old, into the 6th grade,Amidst the flying caps and cheers of proud parents,The clanging notes of the graduation theme,and I thought;“halfway there”,Halfway there before I walked free from the school gates.Halfway there before I never submitted homework again.Halfway there before I entered the gates of college instead.A picture I painted of hope and new starts. Or so I […]
Trigger
His hand quivered on the trigger And the other stared blankly They say the first time Is the hardest And he couldn’t help it As a million questions burned at him Ones he couldn’t answer And the world erupted In flames around him Setting the canons, drawing the grenade ring, pulling the trigger, those were no problem. In practice. He showed promise in training. So, when he was sent to the field, the encampment, he had been proud to serve his country for the first time. But standing here on the battlefield, while his comrades fired aimlessly, he couldn’t pull […]
Opal
As I turn the stones between my hands, Sunlight gleams and breaks across its surface Blue of the sea Green of the evergreen forest Purple of the setting sky White of the clouds Blending and bleeding into each color Within the cage of the stone Shifting as the sun beams from the sky Strung around my neck. The necklace I wore was priceless. Precious opals were strung together around my neck, stones that caught the light and reflected in white light. My pockets lighter with the cool weight against my neck, I remembered the weary jeweler who patiently explained the […]
Screen
Perfect letters, line after lineGlazing over the words, foreign and farThe minutes that slowly pass seem unendingThe monotony a prison, inescapableThe days mirroring each other as they stretch into monthsThe green light flickering at the laptopMy eyes gently flickering shut, struggling to stare and listen to the droneTurning into noise and changing screens, morphing into something suffocatingA stressful confinement, swelling and nagging until its fragileBecause the slightest provocation could make it all apartSo it doesBreaking and splintering, whirring and groaningHand pull out hair, ripping out earphonesBlaring bright white light, flashingUntil the screen is slammed downHurried breaths lay downStare up at […]
Look and See
“Look!” they whisper “Can’t you see?”She cannotShe sees everyday life, normal lifeShe sees trees that sway in the breezeShe sees paved roads and grass growing in sidewalk cracksShe sees brick walls and slate roofsShe sees birds in their nests, she sees dogs with ownersShe shakes her head “Closer” they whisper “You must see deep”But she now notices what’s differentShe sees pained expressions as they limp down the streetShe she leaves falling off of dying branchesShe sees children trip over the sidewalkShe sees plaster that cracks and flakes awaySlabs of roof that slide and clink with rattling windShe sees birds scream […]
The Other Road
One step, two steps, on the straight road.Past the forest, who dancedPast the ocean, who bubbledPast the fields, who rustledOne step, two steps, on the straight roadTo something mysteriousTo something unknownTo something different than beforeOne step, two steps, on the straight roadUntil it breaksUntil it is no longer straightUntil the road is twoOne step, two steps, on the straight roadWondering where to turnWondering where to goWondering where I’ll beOne step, two steps, on the straight roadIgnoring the other pathIgnoring the chilled whispersIgnoring the darkness creeping inStopping, stopping on the straight roadRunning away from the endRunning on the shifting stonesRunning to […]
The Gardener
When the clock struck 12And the noon sun glimmeredThe creaky gate would openAnd I would see a manOld and witheredHunched and smallWho fiddled with the lock on the doorWith his head held down, he would give my the keyThen he picked up the hoseAnd one by oneCarefullyHe drenched the gardenTill the leaves shone in the lightAnd the petals so delicateShook with beads of water.He tended to the weedsRipping and tearingUntil the garden grew crisp and free.Then he raked all the leavesAnd pushed all the soil.He turned to meSo I nodded and smiledAnd the gardener leftWhen the clock struck 1.
