Shapeshifter
You can be lava or a tiny pebble
Like, I can be turbulent or somewhat stable.
Sometimes a tornado, sometimes a light breeze
I too can go fast or move with ease.
A feeble flame quietly eating at the wood or a gluttonous wildfire.
I too can be restrained or a monster of desire.
You are deserts and mangroves
Just like my inner landscape is whatever grows.
One day a dainty snowflake, the next a tsunami
You’re a shapeshifter, just like me
I try on every single shade of every single colour.
The blue of sadness, the white of peace
I try on every single shade of every single feeling
The fear and glee of growth, the bittersweetness of release.
Glad (friendship poem)
The wind is just the air from my lungs moving
And the rain is but the tears in my eyes falling
The Earth is what I’m made of and is made of me
And we are the next big star that others may see
So I will return to dust as the living do
But I’m glad I get to live with you.
A Hard Year (Winter Solstice poem)
It’s been a hard year—the year of the fall
It’s been dark, as dark as this night—the longest of all
But can I trust the message of the stars
That say more light is coming to warm up our hearts?
It’s been a hard year for me and everyone
Never been so far away from the sun
But I believe the promise of the stars
They swear tomorrow will be a brand new start.
It’s been a hard year, so here’s to the next one.
Just Like a Leaf
As I walk through the forest today
I can’t help but see myself
Mirrored in the way
The leaves fall off the trees upon their death.
You know that I fear decay
And what it means for me
But now I see that this cruel fate
Is the stage of a beautiful story
Because I’ll be gone, and it’s alright.
I will feed the ones that come after me
Just like a leaf.
River
From the summit to the ocean
You plummet like a love potion
A soft lullaby as a stream
But when the current is high, you scream
You swirl and twirl like a dancer
A little girl having fun
You roam and foam with such splendour.
At home between the rocks and the sun
Carry me—we river together.
Your Cloud
There’s a cloud high above me
Some might spot the shape of a tree
But distant tears are all I see
Cried by a little boy hidden in the ruins of a playground
By a lover who’s lost the one love they’d found
There’s a cloud high above me
Some might spot the shape of a key
But distant sweat is all I see
Spilled by a little boy running from bombs
By a lover as bodies touch—legs, bellies, chests and palms.
When I weep, will you feel my sighs?
Will my rain ever reach your skies?
Will my sadness refresh you on a summer day?
Will my stream fall down on your city and wash the blood away?
I don’t know you but I find you in the crowd.
I don’t know you but I recognise your cloud.
