The Shape of Clouds

The literalist sees water vapor, nothing more

The decipherer sees an incredible natural phenomena

And the surrealist sees a giraffe eating a necktie

But the everyday human being

Whose imagination yearns to burst free

Sees a cow, a dog

A face, a tree

Maybe, a giraffe eating a necktie

I submit to you that you are flawed.

I submit to you that the ideas that flow through your head

Are illogical.

I submit to you that your images

Are false

That the faces you see

Radiating power

Disapproval

Or merriment

Are false.

I submit to you that you are human.

And humans are far from perfection.

I submit to you

That the faces you see

Are real

That your mind

Is what makes

You.

And that you are perfect just the way you are.

That the gods you see

Beaming down on you

Are real.

As real as you will ever be.

And that your thoughts

Are as logical as you want them

Because Pareidolia

Is nothing but a word

And that your spirit

Encompasses the world

And the clouds.

Sight Beyond Eyes

You see a grain of sand.
I see a shimmering sea of jewels
By the crystal water.
I see a mountain peak
Grasping for the stars
With the strength of a million hands.

You see a drop of water.
I see a roaring wave
A current of pure energy
That punishes those that doubt it.
I see a serene lake
A mirror to the face of the universe
Reflecting a beauty that
Transcends the minds of the weak.

You see a dying flame
I see a blinding star
Its piercing light
Searing the eyes of the overconfident.
I see an engulfing fire
Its ash clinging the sky
Like the shroud of nighttime
Its heat vaporizing even the strongest will.

You see a weak and lonely child
You see someone even smaller,
Even less significant than
A grain of sand.
A drop of water.
A dying flame.
I see a conqueror
That stands above them all.

The mailman

No longer am I a shadow lurking in the solitary corner

when the light reaches out and touches me with its warm rays

Inviting me into its brilliantly lit milieu

Just a fleeting peek into the world of that generous radiating figure

and I know I will live here forever more

I can finally show myself to this world

So I send out my mail

hard-work mail, expressive mail, intelligent mail, loving mail

But first, it must pass through the hands of the vile mailman

Hailed by all but hated by many

With piercing blue eyes matching the sharp blue outfit he wears like a king

Working this job only because he is selfish

only for more money and power than he already has

Killing his competition no matter the cost

because without this job, he would be

nothing

Upon a moment’s inspection,

he hurls the pieces of me into his piles

Corrupts them

Adds his own twist

Try-hard mail, attention-seeker mail, know-it-all mail, kiss-ass mail

Then he delivers it

I scream

The news spreads like rampant wildfire

And burns me just when I thought the fire was safe

It’s done

My mail is imprisoned in the dark depths of the mailman’s bag

They don’t even read my message inside anymore

No one has time for that!

They just want to read the labels that the dreadful mailman puts

The dreadful mailman who doesn’t have his own opinion

The dreadful mailman who is just seeking approval

The dreadful mailman who works long hours

because he has no other options in life

Sibling Love

sibling love

dear sister,
i have known you for
fifteen years now
you were always my idol
my role model
placed on a pedestal so high
i couldnt see your feet
but
i dont know if i ever
truly loved you -
i dont know if it was
ever possible;
you were a mystery
shrouded in artificial love
wrapped in obligation
and tied up with blood
the mountains of years
and rivers of intelligence
divided us irreparably  --
i have known you for
fifteen years now
and i could count on one hand
the times we’ve held conversation
the times you’ve said
“i love you” to me
no matter how hard i wished you would
you never did
when i was little
when i would see a shooting star
i used to wish that you’d love me
that we’d wake up one day
and act like real sisters
sisters that gossiped together
cried together
fought and made up
but
all i got was this
loneliness
that claws its way out of my heart
trying to reach you
but always failing
it seems like
maybe i wished on a mirage

Staring at the Screen

Staring at the Screen

We’re drowning in a ceaseless sea of:

simple salads and

perfect people and

flawless festivities

We leave notifications on

to catch the latest trend, to make weekend plans

so we aren’t left out

We allow alert after alert to seize our attention

and we miss out on what’s happening

in the moment.

We’re getting trapped.

We’re living our lives online

and second by sacred second

minute by minute

hour by hour

we’re losing time that every day we wish we could have back.

We’re letting our smartphones steer us to an alternate world

We’re asking them for advice instead of

confiding in our comrades sitting silently at our side.

Sometimes I wonder:

Why do I waste my time staring at a speechless screen?

I’m convinced it’s fine when I realize my device

is a window to the world

But I’ve come to realize:

Time is a glass of water, you sip some of it

and the rest goes down the drain.

You can beg and beg for more, but no matter what you do

it won’t ever swim back up.

Full to the Brim

I feel empty
Yet at the same time
like I’m going to burst.
What homework have I forgotten?
Why does it feel like impending doom?
Why does my back hurt?
How am I going to fill up a sheet
That proves to colleges I’m not worthless?

I’m filled to the brim
With these thoughts.
The stress of it all
Is making the pot of my mind spill out everywhere
And filling me up with more useless ingredients.

The pressures of college and school are
An immovable piece of bedrock;
Blocking the way to happiness,
And crushing that which they rest upon.

I learned how to flip a pen.
Does this have value?
I made a nice looking figure.
Is it a good use of my time?
My bench press improved by 5 pounds.
What could I be doing instead?
I learned how to make a video game level.
Would admissions officers approve of this?

All these things I do to make myself appear whole
To people I’ll never see.
Fill me up with nothingness
And leave me completely empty in truth.
For when it all comes down to one thing,
I’m not living in the moment.

The Human Parasite

The Human Parasite

One day when humans

Become endangered on this Earth

Learn we’re among other creations

We’ll give up our self-worth.

Hopefully.

One day when we learn

That the Earth is infected

With parasites, greedy crawlers

From this Earth

we’ll get rejected.

So one day if we care

Enough about our kind,

We won’t take more than our share

We’ll acquire a new mind,

That knows we’re not

The Biggest or The Best

of land and air

Knows we’re not

The Brightest just Boastful

to be aware

But I hope it doesn’t come

To the point of endangerment

For us humans to realize

There’s no more

“Quick arrangement”

But,

It only takes one movement

to change the mentality

And not

turn our extinction

into

Reality.