Two withering souls
Lost in downtown fog
With their stories written in neon lights
And their destinies tied together
Gazing at each other
Through the reflection
Of blazing streetlights
In hidden puddles
Scattered around vacant parking lots
Dancing like ghosts
With honey on their tongues
A million longing words
Without ever uttering one
A sleeping city tells their tale
Of a longing moon and a loving sun

Your heartbeat is caught in a thunderstorm,
You run with a broken umbrella away from winds
That chase you with the hopes to carry you home,
And every time lightening strikes, you realize,
the darkness is only a disguise


The light is closer than it seems

A savoury taste lingers on the sailor’s tongue,
As he reaches out into the angry waves
To pull the moonlight from it’s rays
And winds its threads around a spool
Through the night he stays awake
Rapidly sewing together his dreams
He finds himself searching for a lighthouse built from his insecurities

But a fluorescent light dances above,
Far beyond a silver lining,
Left behind by a frozen voice
Of a past self lost in the eye of a hurricane.

“How do you feel?” I ask again. I, knowing the answer, poke my head into the lion's den. I feel the ghost of your frustrations floating about in the confined space. It haunts the room as our shadows strangle each other.

“What is the opposite of homesick?“ You ask.

“Homesick, ” I answer.

In your palms, a lingering remnant of moonlight
traces your fingerprints,
And it illuminates shards of evening rain that have landed on your skin as droplets of hope.
Together a nebula is painted on your hands,

And you find tranquility in evening wakefulness.

Dear capricious heart,
I’m sorry for leaving you at the door step of my past self.
I know you’re built with wings that can’t take you to the sky,
But I was made of broken bones, my identity split between a continental divide,
And I was yearning for the moment that I’d come to terms with ambiguity.

Now I feel at ease,
knowing you’ve found comfort in the changing of the seasons,

And I have conquered the impossible task of hearing you beat without apprehension

A cloud rests on the surface of the earth
and my heart, like a paperweight,  
tethers me to the stormy waters.  
I can’t foresee where I’m heading.  
But there’s something in the heavy air
compelling my lungs conform to the feeling
of letting go

I found that the cracks in my skin began to heal whenever the moonlight lingered by my window,
during the nights when I let the wind bring in its cooling remedies.

I would sit still, lost in my head,  
With a storm brewing in my swollen heart,
Ruminating as I opened my eyes,  
And I watched the dainty fabric of my curtains as they danced with the cold breeze.
Slowly sunlight leaked into the sky as birds sang their delicate songs,

And I found my restlessness fast asleep on my palms.
For a moment, time was standing still and I was...

healing.

I lay here searching for wakefulness
hours after sunrise.
Outside, remnants of a soft pink rest
among new-born grey clouds,  
And embers of a morning sun fade away.

I admire the transitioning sky, remembering how this life is a mystifying blur made of hellos and goodbyes.

Although moments are fleeting,
so are worries,
Even summer’s goodbye,
Is a mosaic of pigments
That one can not help but stare
In absolute admiration

Good things end,
and better things begin.

You wish for the good hours
When the sun wasn’t so eager to run away
But they’ll come again
When the daylight breaks through dawn

And you are granted another day

In a moment of serendipitous sweetness
You grimace bitterly,
you do not like walking down paths
covered in roses.
You would rather wallow alone,
Coughing up reasons
to be angry at this shallow world,

But it follows you buzzing
even when you’ve muted your colours.

I drank a whole glass of nostalgia,
Took a flight around time,
And found myself sitting where I started,
In a state of unnerving silence,
Thinking about how the thunder
Stored in my swollen heart roars,
whenever I’m somewhere,
Lost in my memories.

Amidst the September blues,
And cold aching wind
That lingers around your bones,
A hopefulness lives
Bright in your eyes,

Reminding you of the dreams you will meet, when you begin to feel alive.

You think about how time is running past you,
And you wonder if you could ever catch up to it,
But it stands there with a hand on your shoulder.

If only you knew, what you could do.

Threads of light from a waking sun,
Illuminate the dreams,
That rest on your eyelids.
And you carry them with you,

wherever you go.

From the moon,
comes a letter of reconciliation,
an apology carried with the tide.
Written in an ink infused with hope,

to be read on those restless nights.

Kites fly
when the wind carrying your words
Touches them,
And with them they take the dreams
that align
the stars in your eyes.


Whenever you speak of the things,
you wish to do

You taught me how to grow.
Your battles are carved into my blood vessels,
And I will carry them with me,

As reminders of patience and faith.

Like milk, your soul
pours into the hearts around you,
and your memory leaves remnants
of honey on their tongues.  

Yet you do not know.

In endearing silence,
Exists the stillness of black and white,
The painter holds the palette against their chest,
And their heartbeat colours in the pigments,
As their brush strokes the canvas,
Droplets of light begin to surround you,
Like floating fireflies, or stars on earth,
And in your eyes, colour blooms,
You sit, framed, in black and white,
But the smile you wear when you stare at wonder,
Brings your colours back to life,
The painter captures a portrait,
Made from the paper of destiny,
A picture of you finding yourself,
As the silence waves goodbye,
Leaving behind echoes of your hopeful laugh.

Your words rival the rain that washes the dust of yesterday off the streets,
They pull flocks of birds towards your speech,
And like maps of the largest cities
I dwell on them for days hoping to uncover every corner,
Even the petals of blooming flowers
Fly away prematurely to follow the words that rest on your tongue,
Because when you speak you pierce the atmosphere
With paper planes folded by your wisdom.
Your words are pungent, like mosaics of foreign colour,
They rest upon the palette of a dreamy painter,
Wistful in colour, even when you haven’t spoken at all.

Your sadness is a beautiful thing
It follows you with the glow of a million fireflies
Compelling the wind to abandon the trees
To carry my hands toward your own
And it pulls the sea away from its shore
To follow the ray of light
That seeps through your wounds

Your heart rests in the palm of your father's sacrifice.
Your breath rests in the nostalgic wind that passes by him
When he remembers his past and reflects on your future.
Your colours run down the lines of your mother's smile,
Whenever she raises her hands to the sky,
Praying for you and a little more time,
Because she left her beating heart back home,
To become foreign and unknown only so you could grow.

Their complexions are painted with fatigue,
Because when you're sound asleep,
they run toward bordered walls,
so that when you wake up in the morning,
There will be open doors at your feet.

When a nostalgic wind passes by them,
They'll tell you stories of their childhood,
And they'll leave each word,
With a taste of reminiscence,
A hint of stolen years reflected in the teardrops,
That rest in the corner of their eyes,
And yet when they look towards you,
In seconds your reflection overshadows everything they once used to dream.

All for you...

Beyond the rolling hills,
A shy horizon awaits coloured in a savoury Himalayan pink
And you stand on the peak of a mountain
Practicing your introduction for when you meet destiny for the first time
The hairs on the back of your neck rise
Whenever you find yourself thinking about time
And memories fly around you, drawing their reflections into the irises of your eyes
Hand in hand with tomorrow you walk towards a new sky
A single cloud hovers over you, bringing with it a rainfall
To nurture the seeds of dreams you have yet to meet
And soon enough you’re gone as you fade into the haze,
running towards a melancholic cry with the future by your side
To meet destiny at the horizon line

I've seen foreign stones bleed out fountains of wanderlust down your waterfalls
I've seen shards of mirrors swimming in the ripples of your sea
The one's that still hold the reflection belonging to the wandering passerby on your streets
I've watched as droplets of ink from a sunset sky pour onto your maps
Colouring in the roads that lead to your history
I've seen the flowers in your gardens spread their fragrance onto the sleeves of those lost in your alleys
And the soil underneath them surrounds the seeds of friendship that they leave behind
I've seen hope in the layers of your canyon rock
And resilience in the avalanches of snow that tumble down your mountains
I've seen the architecture of your emotions towering over my outstretched hand

And now I sit by the water trying to paint a picture of your roads on its surface
My hand reaches out into the distance, waiting for the light of your moon to embrace it
And I watch as the stars paint constellations that remind me of you
I dwell in the lonesome nostalgia, recollecting every fading memory
Hoping that when the sun glitters on the surface of your water
You'll see me sitting there, painting a picture of you

I often find myself seeking validation from words that were never written for my tongue

Caging myself behind walls made of letters still undefined

pacing the corners of my fears wondering what is being said in another’s mind

I run from the words that define my faults, disowning them and leaving them behind

But I still carve them into the crevices of my skin, to remind myself of everything that I’ll never be

Then, I write a stranger's name beside them so that I can blame someone else for my insecurities.

There is a breeze that floats around you
When you stare longingly at opportunity’s shoes
They’re polished and ablaze with the colours of potential
And your soles are aching as they breathe through rugged leather
I know your feet can’t brave walking down the rocky path of regret
But around you, there is an enchanting glow
That pulls the wind as it lays down carpets of soil beneath your feet
And as you hang your head low,
Imagining the door that those glittering shoes would’ve taken you to
Courage follows you like a distant shadow
Your silent companion in pain
Waiting to embrace you with its resilient air
And as you long for reaching opportunity’s door
Courage prepares its wings to carry you to a million more.

I hope you keep the taste of your dreams on your tongue,
When you’re gathering the courage to run towards stormy waters,
And I hope that when you reach the shoreline,
Your unspoken words rest on your eyelids,
So that every time the water burns your eyes,
You find comfort in your heart’s lullabies,
Written for you to keep you warm,
when the thunder shatters your barriers.
I hope you remember all the words we exchanged,
Because I’ve written yours upon my sleeves,
Hoping that you would remember them too.
I hope that when you reach the other side,
You’ll find the colourful remnants of the setting sun,
They’ll wash the lightening away from your eyes,
So that you can see the outline of your shadow,
As you reunite with your past self,
The one that hasn’t forgotten how to dream.

You anxiously pace the room
As you sit still lost in thought
Caught in a time loop
Running back and forth
Between your ambitions and anxieties
Your heart is constantly racing
As your mind is overthinking
You are lost in the present's darkness
Hoping to find your future
Somewhere in your past mistakes

The moon vanishes
As you surround yourself with anxiety
Whenever you turn your head
Towards a past shaded with regret

So, settle your restless heart
Turn towards the sky
Do you see it waiting?
Like a dim lamp
Waiting for recognition
Like a gift that will illuminate
The night that has fallen
Over your dreams

Destiny will smile at you once again.
The drought that has infected your heart
Will be washed away
With showers that rain down from your ambitions

You watch as moments are surrounded by an iridescent envelope
They transform into memories that float towards the sunset sky
Colouring the shadows with their flamboyant reds,
Resting in the clouds amongst soft blues
Prismatic and vibrant as they become the entourage
That accompany the sun’s goodbye
And eventually, they're gone, light years away
Now a part of a glittering nebula somewhere far
 
The night comes charging with its sombre hues,
Decorated with stars, waiting for you
To collect your dreams and take them far
And you watch as your dreams are tied with luminous ribbons
As they float above towards a boundless sky
To meet your memories somewhere in between
And before you feel the new day arise
They become one, entangled within your mind
 
And as you recall those beautiful days,
Those minutes from another time,
your memories will meet all your dreams
And come back to you
Surrounded by a foreign fluorescence
Disguised as gifts of time.

From the blooming dandelions
That grow in the gardens of the kindred soul
Is a peculiar dream
That with every yellow petal becomes
A wishful fly away
Within its colourless softness
Searching for new soil
To bury itself
And grow

But it’s the insignificant things
That weigh down the petals  
Whenever they gather the willpower
To float towards a horizon
That divides the insecurities
And the biggest fears of the dreamer
So instead the petals become rain
That wash away the remnants
Of a scorching sun

And some time after
The water carries with it
The seed of the dandelion
And along a distant road
It grows once again
Waiting for another
To come set it free
So that it can carry those old ambitions
Back to one who’s still searching for courage
Along the horizon in their dreams

From the blooming dandelions
That grow in the gardens of the kindred soul
Is a peculiar dream
That with every yellow petal becomes
A wishful fly away
Within its colourless softness
Searching for new soil
To bury itself
And grow

But it’s the insignificant things
That weigh down the petals  
Whenever they gather the willpower
To float towards a horizon
That divides the insecurities
And the biggest fears
Of the one who wished upon them
So instead the petals become rain
That wash away the remnants
Of a scorching sun

And some time after
The water carries with it
The seed of the dandelion
And along a distant road
It grows once again
Waiting for another
To come set it free
So that it can carry those old ambitions
Back to one who’s still searching for  courage
Along the horizon in their dreams

You are the contrast between the sun and its midday shadow
The quiet soul with the pulse of a deer caught in headlights
You carry your words in your throat, your thoughts in your heart
You feel like a wrecking ball waiting to be swung
But you are a reckless force, a mountain that never cries

You string the laughs of those closest to you to wear as bracelets in your worst of times
You dwell on the insignificant things because that’s where you divide
You are the east and the west meeting at a central line

You are here in the present surrounded by people
You tell stories and you listen, you laugh and you embrace
But your head is in the clouds somewhere far away
And you look towards the windows to remember who you are
You’re struggling to be present because you’re already somewhere far

In time,
The swollen heart
Becomes a symbol
Of crossing borders

And when you find the unspoken words
Of your sleepless soul
You’ve found the bordering nation of freedom
That when met against your dreams
Melts into your boundaries
And two become one

And in time,
Your past fades into the seams
Of your reckless ambitions
And your blood pours down towards
your ankles
Preparing you to kick off your feet
And fly towards a future

Where you are found to be free
From your own shackles
and someday you’ll smile
As you look back at what you’ve left behind

And you’ll find
That in time,
You’ll be free from your fears

It’s the inimitable nature
Of a hand that is extended in love
To the one who walks with their thoughts  
As if an immeasurable weight rests on their shoulders

it’s the precise curvature of the smile
That an unfamiliar face gives
To the one whose heart pounds against their chest
After their voice projects into the open
When it's always just a whisper  

It’s the bed of relief that lies on the shoulder
Of a friend that offers it in goodness
To the one who never asks and always  listens

It is the heart of the outcast
That blooms into gardens
When they meet a soul
That takes them under their wing
So they too can fly
Without feeling the fall

You’ve grounded yourself to match the subtlety of the earth’s morning shadows

Your heart feels swollen, it’s filled with love for the little things

And you can longer separate yourself from the line that divides love and hate

So you live your life using every lens available to look at foreign objects

And you find yourself overlooking a sea of borders, so you divide yourself into fragments

And now you stare at your reflection,
what are you besides fractals of foreign colour?

What are you besides lost in translation, waiting for a narrative?

So you rinse away the lines that separate your hopefulness and hopelessness

And you look towards the sea, somewhere in the distance, foreign shadows begin to erase the continental divides in your mind

And you take your first breath as someone....

....not something.

You’re awakening is always a beautiful one
It encompasses the adrenaline rush of life
And you tend to fade into the sunrise
As your back rests against your bed rest

You wonder where the morning goes
When you’re out searching for the colours of your dreams ...

...after you blink it’s nightfall
Because time is limitless, it’s a construct, a measurement
That feels undefined

you start to pour your body off the side
And You feel the blood in your veins shift
Your headaches start to disappear and reappear
And it’s time to once again run towards tomorrow

Until the day the morning never appears

I am a nomad inside my own mind
I dwell in my thoughts for a short time
And then I’m off running
Through scapes of sandy dunes
Made up of sand crystals
That come from different dreams
Versions of a story waiting to be freed
And I run towards the water
Where happiness resides
Wandering over hills
Watching the sun set and rise
Looking at the stars
Searching for the times
When memories were moments
And my dreams were still mine

You get lost navigating the corners of your emotions
Some days you’ll read a poetic interpretation of happiness
And you’ll be restless, just like the words described
You don’t know how the walls of mixed emotions could stand so tall
But now you’re here waving a white flag
Hoping that the windows would
Stop caving in.

But even you know,
That once you’ve surrendered yourself to your heart
You would feel whole again
But it’s the feeling of being lost
In a maze of emotions

Where purpose resides.

The spectacular quiet,
Is where the stars rest above the atmosphere
And where you lose the voice of reason
As you stare into the clouds
Hoping to catch a different dream
Searching for sounds you’ve never heard
Wisdom will tell you that’s life at its best
And youth will tell say you’re at your worst
Time will always live for the chase
And reminiscence will cloud your judgment
But when there is nothing but silence
And the sky is asleep,
You’ll hear the voice of your impossible dreams
Singing it’s famous lullaby
Waiting until you shut your eyes
To take your worries for a flight
And teach you how to say goodbye

I always wondered,
Why in my culture, we wore a red
And not a white
Then I remembered she is a woman
Her blood is rinsed with sacrifice
And on the day of matrimonial happiness
She shall bleed out
Maybe it’s a cry for change,
Or maybe it’s compromise in its most crimson reflection
But when her hands are stained with henna
And her arms laced in embroidered elegance
Does her blood begin to change?
And if it doesn’t, will she be thrown away
Like the burden on her fathers head?
That chokes him from the day she was born to the day she is wed
Is that why her mother once wore the colour red?
I think to myself,
a lamb bleeds too when it’s cut for it’s meat,
And then it’s coat is no longer light
Is that why she wears red and not white?

I speak of you
To the aerial views of city lights
Talking about your extravagance
To the lions mane
Hidden in a mountain range
Stories from when I was a child
I try to keep you on my tongue
But forgive me when I become entranced
Lost in the aurora lights
Holding promises in my hands

So I spoke to them,
The seven wonders and the seven seas
About your colours and memories
Some I still hold onto till this day
But forgive me if I forget our old ways
Just know, my heart still beats to the same rhythm
The one it danced to when I was yours
And I speak of you between every laugh
Because I remember what we used to be.


Suddenly I’m standing in front of the world
Speaking of you
As if I was once again
A child
Running
Down your streets.

Remember when we’d stare at the raining skies?
I remember how they would create collages on pebbles,  
And bring colour to your eyes
But they’ve been dull lately
And you reassure me as always
That you’re still warming up to the cold nights
Yet your heart is aching
You feel like you’re always trembling
Have you lost your purpose?
Or are you questioning your worth?
I’ve told you a thousand times to keep running,
But you always land in the dirt
I don’t think any words could lift you
Your wings are fading
You’re tired of fighting
You feel like you’re always lying


But if your soul needs igniting
Then I’ll tell you what,
You have a spark in your eyes
And it’s at your disposal...

Sometimes all it takes
Is to realize that you’re awake.
The change that you dream of,
Is in your hands and not miles away.

The grass may seem greener from where you stand,
But to the fellow across the pond,
You have it all right in your hands,
And you’re a fool in paradise,
Wishing for something you already have.

When the light seems far away
Don’t turn around, keep walking straight
You’ll notice that no matter how far you get,
Your first step is what takes you miles away,
To the place where it all will change,
And it will feel like yesterday,
That you were running and now you’re making waves.

There is always another side,
The light at the end of the tunnel,
You just have to open your eyes,
To see that you’ve already reached it.

I’ve been running away
Painting burning wood
With colours I’ve never seen
Hoping that when you’ll find them
It’ll be in a dream

I’ve been looking around
Trying to find a couple stars
To take home to the skies
But the ones on the ground
They never glow, they just wear a smile
And give you hope

I’ve been dreaming of hope
Somewhere in the walls of history
Where bricks never crumble
Because they’re made to be
Holding on for someone that’s lost at sea

I’ve been searching everyday
For the map inside your bones
To guide me through your bloodstream
And bring me to your home
The place you like to wander to
When you’re out of the zone

Wherever that is, take me there
I bet the colours are a wonder
Because inside your mind
I’ve found a life, a place to run to
A place to hide,
And inside your heart
I’ll leave my dreams hoping that when the
Walls come down
You’ll keep holding on
And I’ll be found

Take your parachute and let it fall
As you lay there in between the sky
Watching dreamers walk through life
Wishing they were somewhere up high
Spread your wings and take a breath
The atmosphere will clear your head
Let the time go as you stay afloat
Holding onto every rope
Look down and see your reflection stare
As it looks up to you and wonders,
Where they’ll be when time will pass
Will they fly and will it last?
Would they reach the sky one day?

Look down and tell yourself,
it’ll be ok.

I shy away from yellow Novembers,
As I stare into the glowing sun, 
searching for some metal wings, 
ones that bring back unfamiliar winds,
 hoping that they'll take me too. 

I trace my fingers along road maps,
and chase my regrets while looking back
I dream of sunsets on snowy roads 
I run from colours that feel too old 
and search for stories that haven't been told

I've read the writings on the wall, 
it seems like I've been waiting to fall, 
but every time I dream of a new place 
I can't help but feel like I need an escape 
So I find myself on the other side,

walking down roads that never divide, 
chasing dreams I have yet to meet 
becoming someone I have yet to be
searching for fate, I walk along 
towards the yellow November trees 

alone, afar, yet somewhere close, 
hand in hand with vulnerability.

How are you?
Are you lost somewhere in the valley,
walking down endless roads?
Are you falling in love whenever you meet a kindred soul?
I heard that time has caught up to your ways,
And now you’re chasing stars to have another say,
But I can’t help but feel like you needed to be saved.
So now I’m here searching along the path where your footsteps are placed,
Wondering why I’m chasing after a lost case,
But when I look at my hands, I remember the wrinkles on your thumb,
I see your soul searching for someone to love,
I remember that we’re reflections of each others hopeless dreams,
Now I know that you’re looking for someone like me,
But you’re too far gone into the future
And I’m just your past,
turn around and you’ll find me, where you left me last.

I didn’t know how Infectious a smile could be,
Not until I saw the wrinkles on your cheeks curve into thick lines
Like the cursive ink flowing from a lovers pen.
The corners of your mouth began to rise like the morning sun,
your eyes reflecting the stars hidden behind a blue sky.
Your joy found it’s way to me somehow,
right when I thought it was impossible to forget my headaches.
Your light transformed me into a city scape.
All was forgotten for a few seconds,
As I admired your laughter from afar.
All was remembered when your eyes started glittering,
And my heart came back to life.
You were there, clothed in your sorrow,
Yet dancing hand in hand with happiness
Forgetting time, coming alive, and full of joy