To my future self among others

On this eve of my 26th birthday, I look back at my life thus far.
In case one day you feel lost, let this be your guiding star.
For fate has weaved a pattern of intricate twists and turns
Of victories and harsh defeats, of smiles and tears that burn.

Where the fighting is the thickest, let them find you there
Don’t cower in the corners nor hide from danger’s stare.
For what you will regret the most are not the battles that you’ve lost,
Rather it is the wars that you refused to fight that’ll bear a heavier cost.

Yes, fear will be your nemesis until now it haunts me so.
It stems from deep inside of me and that is all I know.
It clings to every insecurity and breathes out great despair,
Keeping you from living life and blinds you from all that’s fair.

You are never powerless even though you’ll feel that way
When things begin to fall apart and your soul is led astray.
It is from your own mind where the pressure mostly stems.
Please learn to relax sometimes lest the pressure overwhelms.

Remember that you will forever be your own greatest critic.
Don’t let your failed expectations transform you to a cynic.
Leave some questions unanswered even for a just a day.
In an argument, keep in mind, you don’t need the final say.

There maybe dark times ahead, it’ll keep things interesting.
Promise me that you’ll fight to live rather than just existing.
I won’t say that everything will be fine because I’m not really sure.
Remember that life is not a disease to which you need a cure.
You started out a miracle and as a miracle you will endure.

If There Be Fate

If there be fate, let actions cease;
Let breathing halt to pay life’s lease.
Existence of a grandest plan
Denies the life of every man.

If there be one truth, let minds rot;
Let fade away all life begat.
Existence of  universal fact
Shall rob us of sweet life’s extract

So let me drown in my delusion;
Let me live in my illusion.
For I know truths are not real,
What is essential is what we feel.

It is through charting our own course
That we draw meaning from its source.
Should there, in truth, be destiny
Then let me die than cease to be free.

*A reworked version of my 2009 poem; an experiment with Iambic Tetrameter (still haven’t perfected it though)”

Taking Flight (A Villanelle)

Leave the earth and come with me, fly away to eternity
For there be no worries there as we flutter on angel’s hair.
Take my hand, let your fears be; into the sunset we shall flee.

In the skies, we’re truly free if you just raise your eyes and see
The choirs of angels. Forget all care as we climb heaven’s stair.
Leave the earth and come with me, fly away to eternity.

Come and float away with me. I’ll sing no songs of tragedy.
There we’ll ask not how we’ll fare instead shake off our every care.
Take my hand, let your fears be; into the sunset we shall flee.

To soar beyond and be free from the mires of reality,
Is in fact, our dreams to snare from their lost and forgotten lair.
Leave the earth and come with me, fly away to eternity.

Just glide through the skies with me; take my hand in yours; Don’t worry
About the world that’s so unfair. Forget the sorrows we bear.
Take my hand, let your fears be; into the sunset we shall flee.

From the past, let us break free. Let’s start anew; just you and me.
Away from the eyes that stare; away from them if you just dare
Leave the earth and come with me, fly away to eternity.
Take my hand let your fears be; into the sunset we shall flee.

I’ll be the moon

I’ll be the moon;
The smiling silver crescent shining in the starlit sky.
A magician whose ancient crafts create
The constant ebb of the tides;
Master to the flux and flow of the sea and the soul.

I’ll be the moon;
The beacon of human passion that ignites the senses.
A mad man who weaves an exquisite tapestry
Of truths and insanity;
A protean deity constantly altering the self and reality.

I’ll be the moon;
A soft faint reflection of the all-mighty Phoebus.
The torch bearer in the cold and dreary night
Driving back the darkness with my gentle light;
The harbinger of hope to the hopeless and the heartbroken.

When you dare not stare at the radiance of the sun;
When you find yourself alone in the deep void of the night;
Know that I am always out there, watching ever true.
I’ll be the moon when no one else would shine on you.

A Sonnet for the Graduates

The race has been very long and tedious;
A tough and winding track lies behind you.
Now, you’re in a position that’s envious
Because you have run a race that is true.

Most of you have fallen along the way
Yet here you stand triumphant nonetheless.
You never gave defeat the final say.
Your names are now written among the best.

For every stumble, slip and slide, say “Cheers!”
For faltering fearful feelings as well.
These make your glory shine throughout the years
And give life to the stories that you’ll tell.

    As you reach the finish line, keep running
    For down the road, life is just beginning

The Perfect Poet Award Week 41

I humbly accept the award with a tribute to the graduating class of 2011.
I’d like to nominate TC for the next award.

Duality

Duality

As you quest
For the right numbers
To fill in the right formulas
From which your answers are wrought,

So do I journey
For the right letters
To form the right words
From which this poem is crafted.

As you feel
A sense of nervousness
Or maybe even a tiny tinge of fear
While you struggle to find the right answers.

So do I feel
The shakiness of my nerves
And the cold touch of Phobos
While I struggle to give shape to my thoughts.

As you are lonely
Inside that crowded room;
Isolated by a deafening silence;
Engaged and encaged only in your thoughts,

So am I lonely
Inside this crowded room;
Where noise is drowned by the silence
Brought about the inescapable thoughts of you.

Though I long
To see your face again;
To hear your angelic voice
And whisper my heart out to your ear,

I am paralyzed in fear
That there won’t be any smiles
Nor would there be words leaving our lips
And we would stand there like complete strangers;

 

 

 

 

 

A few steps would seem worlds apart

Out of sight, out of mind

As I was walking down the corridors one day, I heard a voice.
“Out of sight, out of mind”, it said
“Out of sight, out of mind”, it whispered
And the words echoed from the halls of this almost empty building
Into the labyrinth of thoughts in my head.
I wondered as I whispered the saying again and again:
“Out of sight, out of mind”
“Out of sight, out of mind”
Too long has passed since I’ve seen you, too long has passed since we’ve talked
And still your name is written on the labyrinth walls.
“Out of sight, out of mind”
“Out of sight, out of mind”
And these thoughts seem to permeate the boundaries of reality;
Seeping into the everyday.
The walls seem to bear your name everywhere I look.
Letters forming patterns
On doors and bits of paper;
On menus and food packaging;
On billboards and neon signs that light up the skyline at night.
“Out of sight, out of mind”
“Out of sight, out of mind”
Each time those words left my lips, I believed them a little less;
Had I been completely blind I would still see your name scribbled upon these walls;
I’d still see your face in the shroud of impenetrable darkness.
For as I was walking down the corridors one day, I heard a voice.
“Out of sight, out of mind”, it said
“Out of sight, out of mind”, it whispered
And the words echoed from the halls of this almost empty building
Into the labyrinth of thoughts in my head.
And somewhere along the way most of the letters got lost
And the walls whispered your name instead.

Call to arms!

The battle is long
The casualties are many
Yet, stand together!

Stand shield upon shield!
Our Phalanx will never break;
Protect each other.

The fight is hardest
When try to fight alone;
Trust one another.

Victory is near
If we stand by our comrades;
Give strength to the weak.

*The battle against cancer is something that is very dear to me (being a cancer survivor) and I’ve added a new Social Vibe widget (top of the right sidebar) to reflect this. I ask that if you enjoyed reading my poems to spend a few minutes of your time to do the sponsored activity and pitch-in the quest to defeat this inhuman condition. Thanks in advance.

It began with a moment of magical inspiration

It began with a moment of magical inspiration
As inaudible music started to flood into my soul.
My feet danced to its silent melody across the kitchen floor.
I laid out everything on the table; Everything that I would need;
Never bothered to stop and think about what I was doing.
Lessons from the heart wrote a poem for the senses and
Out came the knives that would craft its words into realization.
Vapors of savory flavors filled the house as the butter met the garlic;
Every single second was an eternity as I pondered on and on about
What my next move was going to be and the browning continued
Inside the pan while the inspiration swelled inside of me. I decided
Then that it was time to send the onions into the fray and a splash of
House wine mellowed things before a few fillets of fish swam into the pan.
Your memory mixed with the dish as it slowly simmers into maturity.
Out came the knives again and with loving precision sliced and chopped
Unerringly the yellow, greens and oranges that would grant color to this
Moment painted for every sensibility on a stainless steel canvas.
Each sizzle whispered your name and as the smoke
Rose into the air it formed a portrait of your beautiful face
Smiling at me. My heart began to race and I felt a tinge of
Excitement slowly building up inside of me as I reached for the
Little things that give the most flavor to life and
Love; Herbs and spices carefully measured as not to overpower
Each other but instead create layers of wonderful flavor
Mirroring the layers of emotions that I emphatically transfered
On to this dish. I poured in fresh cream along with my heart and
Noted how it bound everything together while adding that all-important
Texture; The rich and exquisite form that anticipates and complements the
Embrace of passion as it waltzes from your taste buds to your heart.
Sadly, I don’t think you’ll be eating here tonight and still I wait.

O huntress, I be your prey as each night

O huntress, I be your prey as each night
You stalk me in the wilderness of dreams.
The snares you set prohibit any flight
And I surrender as your weapon gleams.
Your blade (as sharp as roses’ thorns) threaten
And your piercing eyes keep me rooted down.
As it draws nearer, my courage lessens;
My throat dries up then suddenly I drown
In the deep fear of its lethal coldness
As well as its beauty’s radiant glow.
Huntress, I pray stay the blade you possess
Else I pray its true nature to me show
    And bury your blade deep inside my soul.
    Take forever the sanity you stole.