Nainai said she killed people in this house
Two of her own children,
One was missing a scoop of porridge in his bowl,
One was missing a layer of cotton in his jacket.
They said: “Ma, when we grow up we will build you a big big house,”
“Everyone has their own room” “and two extra rooms”
“Filled with golden manto” “And swan-feather blankets!”
“And peanuts!”
Nainai said she killed people in this house,
Her own father,
Who one night swallowed twenty extra sleeping pills,
Laid still.
He said: “When you found your love I’ll build you a big new house,
I live in this one, across the street.
So when I make something good, you can get a bowl before it gets cold.”
Nainai said she killed people in this house,
Her own husband,
Who had personality of flame–selfless, no fear.
He stepped out of the door in his neatly ironed uniform, his back to her.
So far, so near.
He said “The country is a big house, it is my duty, my purpose,
To guard when enemy arise! I promise,
When the country is secured, I will return, and I will never leave your side.”
Nainai said she killed people in this house,
Herself,
The survivor of the chaos, but her soul defeated.
In her hollow shell she had to face the samely hollow,
Collapsing house, unchanged.
She said: “Yujia, next year when you come back to me.
I’ll teach you to build a house.”
There are so many things we can do together –
Watch TV, curled up underneath a blanket.
Read a book, my arm resting on yours.
Rest my head against you and take a nap.
Every day I come home, excited to see you.
We embrace; I’ve never been more comfortable.
When I leave, I wish you could come with me.
But I know you must stay.
When I can’t sleep at night, you’re there for me.
When I need to cry, you’re there for me.
No matter the time,
I know you’re there for me.
Thank you, my beautiful couch.
“will you always be by my side?”
“will you promise to never leave?”
i asked you,
rooted to the earth
with my crooked, gnarly little arms.
yes;
you said, “yes” and showered me with care
and the twinkling of your laughter.
your fluttering, pink wings;
you protected me,
you sheltered me,
and you loved me.
again.
“will you always be by my side?”
“will you promise to never leave?”
but the wind whistled in your place.
you.
your brown,
dull
petals
lie upon the earth.
you left me.
you faded away.
and you were gone.
back then,
i watched as others took photos,
so these fleeting moments
may be eternal for them.
but i must wait.
i miss you.
Her whisper used to linger in my ear,
ringing through my body.
His raspy voice barks words,
which imprint my brain.
Her embrace used to comfort me,
my body would melt from her touch.
His grasp is rough,
never showing me mercy or weakness.
Her eyes were soft with passion,
always watching to make sure I was alright.
His eyes are sharp and lifeless,
ready to criticize my every move.
Her love was beautiful and true,
which never let me feel alone.
His affection leaves marks,
defeating my every breath of confidence.
Her heart got me through his torment.
His torment ended her heart.
Without her I am alone
to deal with his pain
that is forced on me.
Mom, I miss you.
I sat down on freezing cold bench The snowflakes as thick as ever I listened to the whispers of the wind pass me by Oh how it reminded me of the day we met The cold breeze surrounding us as we sat and talked Talked about how we just wanted to get out of this boring neighborhood
How we wanted to travel the world See all the places we imagined The Bahamas to enjoy the warm weather New Orleans for the Mardi Gras festival Fiji for the beautiful sunsets And Paris to see the Eiffel tower.
I guess I just never got the chance to But you did…You left too soon We were so young, but that didn’t stop you. I wonder if you’re okay, What would life be if you hadn’t left so soon? I guess I’ll never know.
Remember, she said, to watch,
to watch for their every move
as if you are the predator
And you have to be brave
I keep my eyes clear,
my eyes straight
not letting a whisper blow past
And breathing with a freight
My prey looks back at me,
As I carefully switch a piece
Not slowing down Or wanting to cease
As the pieces moved back and forth
The game seemed to never end
Until the King is trapped
And no longer has a friend
I live with the sun.
My sister is 13 years old, and she shines brighter than anyone I’ve ever met.
Her happiness radiates in waves of laughter
And her soul glistens like a diamond in the rough.
I live with the sun.
Her light casts a shadow that is impossible to fill.
Her radiant personality blazes through normality,
Shining down on humanity.
I live with the sun.
My rainy days vanish with her presence.
Her aura beams with confidence and humor
And her laugh illuminates my world.
My my,
haven’t you all grown up?
Your sight shatters
Breaks,
Already broken.
Then eliminates.
Me.
I have known you better–
Brighter than a flame,
Lighter than air.
Should have known
To treat you better.
The moment to realize my mistake
It’s too late,
Too late.
Your soul,
Gone.
However,
Some ugly words
Seem to slice right through you
What I don’t get is,
why are you crying?
Your toxic words are no match.
But still,
you cry.
Fake tears,
That hurt others.
You are too dark to cry;
But too pure to understand.
Running through the night,
Never looking back.
You dazzle me over,
Careless.
I want to escape.
Forever,
From the demon
That I myself created.
As far as I know,
Happiness cannot be taken.
Only devoured away.
It’s okay that the only looks you give me
are glares of contempt.
‘Cause your eyes are like
the deepest pools of melted chocolate
from which I drink
to vanquish my perpetual thirst.
And of course I don’t mind that
the only thing you’ve ever said to me
besides
Can I borrow your homework?
was that my sneakers were lame.
‘Cause
even though you’re laughing
(at me)
I’m blinded by your smile
the kind that you see in those Colgate ads.
And it’s totally fine that
you never bothered to thank me the day
that I gave you the answers
to that test
or the test after that.
‘Cause when you say my name
(it’s Miguel, by the way
not Michael)
it flickers from your lips
a song as saccharine sweet as
the final bell on a Friday.
And my heart pummels my ribcage
threatening to sprout wings
and spring from my chest.
And since
none of those things vex me
in the slightest
I was
uh
wondering
if
maybe
you wanna-
What?
Oh.
No, the quiz is tomorrow.
“The poem is due Friday, this week.” The teacher announced on Tuesday.
“The topic of this poem is your relationship with anything.”
I, master procrastinator, scoffed and smugly thought,
“Hey, I still have four more days!”
Well, on Thursday, my Google™ doc still stared blankly at me.
“Shit,” I thought, “What do I write about?”
Should I write about the fig bars I constantly eat in class?
‘The sweet smell of the fig
The processed sugar
The soft whole wheat cover
It brought a tear to her eye as she gleefully devoured’
I carefully scrutinized the sample poem, the imagery was not vivid enough.
I frustratedly clenched my fists. The tears and glee didn’t go together
So I scrapped the draft, disappointed but already lured by new ideas
Grades? School? A serious poem?
Should I write about the severe lack of snow days this year?
‘A young girl
Sadly stared at the her computer
The 85{8f8d4e344c8a972b8e97d55fa7ec8be4d5f796681e06b247e4219849f812f758} chance on snow day calculator
Just went down to 50{8f8d4e344c8a972b8e97d55fa7ec8be4d5f796681e06b247e4219849f812f758}’
I carefully scrutinized the sample poem, not thrilled by the wording.
So I scrapped the idea, negativity starting to drip into my mind, panic lurking in the background
That was when I struck gold
Meta gold
“I’ve made up my mind!” I declared to my friend in the whimsical green dress writing her own
poem.
“I’ll write about my relationship with the process of writing a relationship poem.”
And so I wrote,
‘“The poem is due Friday, this week.” The teacher announced on Tuesday.’