Let it be me

LET IT BE ME

Let the pain not be mine.

Let me not be a survivor.

Let me not live with wounds.

Let me not wake up in tears,

Yearning for hugs I once felt,

For sounds I could never hear,

From a voice forever silenced,

Consigned to essays & books,

Memoirs, poetry & whispers

Living in a mind that lies

About what words were said,

What songs were sung,

What's alive, what's dead.

Ludwig 

They Hurt

They hurt--my eyes.
Seeing you just lying there,
Drifting away to sleep,
Not a care in the world.

Watching you ignore me.
With not an idea that here,
Lies a heart that beats,
Spelling out your name.

They hurt--my ears.
Listening to your sleeping sounds,
Wondering if between a snore or two,
The deafening silence hides "Ludwig,"
Or acknowledges that I am here.

Sometimes you say things.
You sigh and whisper soft words.
And I wonder if they are for me,
Or another man you dream of.

It hurts--my heart.
That I cannot tell you how I feel,
Because I am too scared to mean it,
And give myself away again.

Feeling strongly like this,
Seems as though I am building myself,
A trap without killswitch or way out.
And I jump in with a smile.

And then I die.
Damn it!

Elections and Friendships

BINISAYA:

Pinili-ay og Panaghigala

Nag-anam-anam na og kaduol ang adlaw sa pinili-ay.
Daghan na kaayo'ng mga panaghigala
Ang nabungkag tungod sa kalainan sa baruganan
Ug mga kandidato'ng gidapigan.

Ang kadaugan sa atong mga manok,
Labaw pa ba g'yud og bili sa panagsu-on
Nga pila na ka-tuig gi-amumahan?

Masayon-sayon ra diay og gubâ
Pinaagi sa bulok sa atong mga baklaw
Ug sa mga hulagway nga gipatapot
Sa likod sa atong mga sakyanan?

Dili ba diay malungtaron
Ang gugma sa matuod nga higala?

Nangabuang na ta'ng tanan?
Mangligid sâ uroy ta sa Banat-i
Ug magpapaak og iring!



ENGLISH:

Elections and Friendships

The day of elections is drawing nearer and nearer.
Too many friendships
Have been shattered by differences in principles
And candidates we support.

Are the victories of our chickens
Of greater value than the bonds
That we have spent years to nurture?

Can they so easily be destroyed
By the colours of our bracelets
And the faces on bumper stickers
On the back of our cars?

Is it not resilient,
The love of a true friend?

Have we all become fools?
Let's roll down Banat-i Hill
And have cats bite us!

A Once Beautiful Mother Speaks

I used to be very beautiful.

You see, I have seven sisters.

I’m the only one with children.

The rest have naught the joys of motherhood.

They are colourful but barren.

I’m the only one among us,

Who has ever borne life.

I’m gifted and blessed,

I think I’m the Sun’s favourite wife.

I used to be like my sisters,

Just normal-looking and bare.

I once had but dry complexion,

And uninteresting dull hair.

But then I became a mother,

And everything about me,

Turned lush and admirable.

I was filled with sheer beauty.

Yes, I was so beautiful.

I had awesome hair to feel,

Such a comfy place to be.

Whether warm or cool,

When needed I could deliver readily.

I had all my children needed,

My breasts were like springs of the prairie,

Never failing to quench the thirst,

Of my children whom I love dearly.

Nurturing my lovely kids,

Day-by-day I’ve been here.

I get new ones all the time,

Each minute, each day, each year.

I used to be very beautiful.

I used to stand proud for all to see,

The beauty my children were giving me.

But they became increasingly,

More hungry and more greedy.

I’ve always had enough,

And everything used to be for free.

But now many have more than most.

And some go hungry as you see.

Look at where my hair used to be.

My lush hair which used to shine.

It’s now a balding field of agony,

Specks and bits of what once was divine.

My milk now still does flow,

But it is pure no more.

Too much bitter poison is in it now,

Not the sweet, sacred taste it once bore.

Yes, my children have done this to me,

But I love them all the same.

What else can a loving mother do?

I gave them life, their bodies, their name.

Am I angry about all this?

No, I can tell you that.

I love wholeheartedly,

Without anger, even for the biggest brat.

I trust that my children will,

Take care of me once more.

And see to it that I heal,

And regain the beauty and life I had once before.

Love in Sweet Slumber

I want to be with you.

I want to lie down beside you,

And feel your heat.

I want to caress you to sleep,

On your forehead;

On your arms,

On your smooth rear.

I want to feel your warm skin,

Against my own,

As we lie side-by-side,

Brushing against each other.

I want to feel the sensation,

Of your breath,

Gently tickling my neck,

With each exhalation,

Subtly calling my name.

I want to feel the heat,

Of your body,

While you embrace me,

With arms supple as silk.

I want to listen to your soft snore,

Buzzing as gently,

As the soft summer breeze,

In a far mountain home,

In tune with the call of cicadas.

I want to touch your face,

The face of the one,

Whose heart I hold.

I want to kiss you,

Even without you knowing,

With my eyes closed,

As my lips tenderly meet yours.

I want to run my fingers,

From your neck,

Down to your abdomen,

Down to your legs,

And up again.

I want to feel each kick,

And hear each word mumbled,

Each time you traverse,

The world of dreams.

I want to whisper,

In your ear, “I love you,”

While you sleep,

And hear you in my mind,

Saying you love me, too.

I want to be close to you,

During these hours,

To keep you safe,

To keep you warm.

I want to hold you,

As close as I can,

To me whose heart you own.

I want to feel your being,

With our spirits embracing.

I love you like no other,

And that is why,

I want to be with you.

The Bite

You have bitten me,

So hard, so strong,

But it is lucid I see,

That THIS is not wrong.

I ache and I fear,

In utter agony,

For how not it is clear,

The picture I see.

We've treaded THIS lane,

So shortly and tranquil.

And here we've befallen,

On a fate so delightful.

In your thoughts you found jest,

And saw nothing but oddity.

Yet bound we are for the best,

Armed with but passion's fury.

For the eyes of the meager,

What we do is but wicked.

In two ways we beleaguer,

Laws the Fathers alleged.

We fall foul of tradition,

Known since time unknown.

But we move forward and on,

For THIS knows no ration.

I succumb to your bite,

To your potent poison.

You, too, yield to the might,

Of my heady submission.

'tis bumpy our road,

And dangers we face.

For turns shall unfold,

In THIS crazy maze.

Courage be tested,

And strength be maimed.

But as it is said,

The wild can't be tamed.

We shall see how we fare,

In our endeavor.

We face fire for we dare,

But sweetness we shall savor.

So cheers to us two,

As we drown in our space.

We shall walk to and fro,

THIS joyous craze.

You have bitten me,

And I you.

A single destiny,

We have fallen to.

I have hit ground fast,

And hard as hard be.

You have blurred the past,

Now it's just you and me.

My greatest fear is you,

As has always been.

But nothing is more true,

Than what I have seen.

Venom runs in me,

And, in you whom I have wounded.

No wrong can I see,

If with THIS it is founded.

THIS is Life!

THIS is an Offering!

THIS is Vibrant!

THIS is an Embrace.

THIS is it.

Bird

Bird...

You are one of sheer beauty.

I am swooned by your presence.

I need naught know what kind you are,

Or from whence you come.

I, myself, am like you.

I, myself, am a bird, too.

We have so much alike,

Having shared so little.

From that time we met,

'Till the eve that passed.

You are so close to me now.

You're in arm's reach.

Yet I can feel the distance.

Bird...

Why do you clip your wings,

And ask me to clip mine?

I want to fly to your side,

And be with you--just that.

You fear so much,

That you'll fall off.

I know you want to fly,

I can feel your yearning,

I can feel your desire,

I can feel you.

But you fear the branch may,

Not hold both you and I.

Why, Bird, oh why?