empty
i cannot feel the salt winds blow,
nor taste the darkened sea.
for soon the shattered sun shall go
and ne'er return to me.

losing myself
i sought the light
so fought the fight
but in the dark
i lost my spark
and now —
it's much too late to save me.

shh... 
silence worms its way into you
squeezes you tight
until you cannot breathe
until all that's left
is shadowy night.

worry not
'i will be fine' ...

All he could see was that blasted white. Blank white walls and milky white floors and chalky white ceilings; they boxed him in on all sides. The sheets tucked tightly beneath him were ivory. His gown, the exact shade of freezing winter snow. That infuriating, incessantly ticking clock? Colorless, right down to each shallowly engraved number, near invisible against the cream of its ghostly pale face. Whichever buffoon decided that was a good idea ought to be shot.

Just outside...

Each year passes; we learn, and we grow. New friends come and old friends stay, the sun will shine and the rain will pour. So much changes, even day to day. We look back in bittersweet longing.

In my family, though, one thing has always remained the same, a measure of stability in an ever-reshaping world: birthday dinners.

Every birthday, we eat noodles with eggs. The noodles are cooked as one long strand, unbroken to symbolize longevity, in hopes that...

Raindrops in the ocean
Disappear without a trace
They fall from high
And sink so low
Like tears upon your face.

They mingle with the fishes
Who gulp at air
In hopes of food
But it's only raindrops
In the sea,
They will conclude.

As the waters turn shallow
And the coral into sand,
The children laugh
And run
And play;
Kings that rule the land.

Dark clouds begin to gather
"Hard to port!" commands the captain.
The waves do...

Would you believe me
if I told you
I feel
so.
    out.
        of.
            place.

I retreat
into my music
earbuds in, goodbye world
and lose myself in its certainty.
its set rhythms and melodies.
the words I know, each one, by heart.

Would you believe me
if I said
I think I've
done.
    it.
        all.
            wrong.

As I sang by myself
friendships blossomed
without me.

And now I'm afraid.
I've forgotten what it was
to...

look at her eyes
shuttered against me
i thought we were allies
but even you can see
how she never considers
my side the truth
how i'm always the liar
making too much ado
how she swallows my words
spits them out mangled—
tangled—
so i dam them
imprison them
behind clenched teeth
i pause and pull back
rewind and retreat
but it makes no difference
for i myself am the offense
so damn her too
i've committed no crime ...