Safe Place

She was the sun,

And i was flying too close,

Only I wasn't Icarus,

It felt like I was his wings,

That each time i drew closer,

I started falling apart,

Melting, withering away,

But only i did not,

Then I was a leaf, 

And she was still the sun,

I thrive in her light,

The warmth of her rays,

But she was still the sun in mid-summer,

And i, still a leaf,

Slowly shriveling under its blinding heat,

But only i did not,

I was breaking,

But at the same time being pieced back in,

She was the sun,

But also she was the moon and the stars,

That after her masterful sunset,

Amidst the darkness,

She was still the light,

And in the darkness,

She was also a calm sea,

But also she was a storm,

She was a strong gust,

Capable of sweeping you off your feet,

And then she was a gentle breeze,

That first deep breathe,

Away from the suffocating city,

You wanted her so badly,

That all the storms and all the uncertainties,

Were worth holding out for,

But she was not only the sun,

Or the moon and stars,

Or the calm seas and the storms,

She was also the universe,

Overwhelming and infinite,

And then you realize,

That your heart is too small a vessel,

For the universe that she is,

But at the same time,

You want to be in her every second,

And her in your every inch,

And there i knew it was love,

Because whether i was a leaf, shriveling,

Or Icarus' wings, melting,

I knew that anywhere with her,

Is where i was supposed to be,

And though i know,

She deserves the universe,

And all I can offer is my own world,

If she accepts this offer,

Then maybe we can build our own,

Overwhelmingly infinite universe,

And if all the heartaches,

Were the very sails that led to you,

I won't even second guess,

Going through the same aches,

If that's what it would take,

To arrive exactly where we are,

Because this is exactly were i want and will choose to be,

Overwhelming and Infinite

They say when you like someone,

You dream of kissing their lips,

Or cuddling under the sheets,

Or tight, minute-long hugs,

Or saying goodbye with a forehead kiss,

It's not like i don't want to,

It's just that when I look at you

I'm taken to the sea,

Us, by the beach,

Squinting, stargazing,

Constellation-hunting,

Tracing Orion or maybe the big dipper,

Then laughing, realizing it isn't either,

It's just that when I think of you,

Everything is in slow-motion except time,

Which reminds me of museums,

Us, taking intently slow, calming walks,

Admiring artworks,

Exchanging interpretations,

And then calling each other out,

When we discover an artwork,

We think the other would be in awe too,

It's just that when I think of you,

I long for conversations,

Of different worlds you've traveled through,

From a book you just read or are reading,

Or a mind-blowing plot, 

Of an animation or a movie,

And maybe at times,

We exchange signature quips,

From a tv series,

And then later on having to explain,

Because the other hasn't watched it,

It's just that when I think of you,

I long for long drives,

And random political discussions,

We agree or at times, disagree,

Then have at it judging other people,

For being Marcos apologists,

All while we alternately choose the next song,

We want the other to hear,

Or appreciate the song's lyrical poetry,

It's just that when I think of you,

Everything else is quiet except my heartbeat,

The quiet that reminds me,

Of slow-motions, of calm walks,

Of long conversations and laughter,

But most of all,

When I think of you,

I am reminded of the quiet,

The quiet that kisses our lips,

The quiet that cuddles us,

The quiet that bids forehead kisses,

The quiet we manage to still enjoy, 

Even without words.

Because it still feels like home,

And for the first time,

The universe didn't feel as daunting,

But overwhelming and infinite just the same

The Universe Never Fails

The universe never fails to inspire awe,

One day it makes you realize,

How tiny of a speck you are with its vastness,

Baffling how things make perfect sense,

And then not at all,

She veils herself in stark darkness,

Cold breeze and silence,

Should you embrace this mystery,

Hold still with a steady heart and forbearing eyes,

She will bless you with a starry night's resplendence,

She builds walls out of mountains,

And separates lands with seas,

Should you embrace this adventure,

Hold still with an ardent mind and gritty feet, 

She will bless you with breath-taking scenes,

The universe never fails to inspire awe,

One day it makes you realize,

How tiny of a speck you are with its vastness,

And then the next day,

It makes you feel like all its grandeur can fit,

In one person all at once,

The audacity of daybreak, 

The grace of dawn,

The murmur of gentle waves,

The rage of storms,

Majestic and modest,

Serene and intense,

She is rest, she is home,

But also a trail to the outdoors,

She is the comfort of a rooftop,

On a clear summer starry night,

But also the uneasy excitement,

At an adventure's advent,

She is all of it,

And none of it at the same time,

The universe never fails to inspire awe,

One day it makes you realize,

How tiny of a speck you are with its vastness,

And then the next day,

It makes you feel like all its grandeur can fit,

In one person all at once,

Then slaps you in the face,

For believing you can have it,

For she was not meant to be tied down,

She is not a concept,

She is not possession,

She is not an idea,

She is her own universe,

The universe never fails to inspire awe,

One day it makes you realize,

How tiny of a speck you are with its vastness,

And then the next day,

It makes you feel like all its grandeur can fit,

In one person all at once,

Then slaps you in the face,

For believing you can have it,

But she has me,

She has me captivated,

But I am not her captive,

She has me,

But not like the earth to the sun,

Or the moon to the earth,

She has me as tangled,

As the fate of space and time,

And there I was begging,

Begging the universe to keep her,

To steer her to me,

And guide her with her stars,

Should I blame the universe,

For blessing me this curse?

And then she answers,

The universe gently whispers,

And reminded me of Cassius,

As he exclaims to Brutus,

"The fault, dear Brutus,

Lies not within the stars,

But in ourselves.

Men are masters of their fate."

RSVP

I never thought I'd see museums in a different light,

More than a plenary of a milllion brainchild,

Seemingly tiny Meccas of divine hands,

A multitude of open doors,

And windows to different adventures,

Each artwork an escape,

Each exhibit a testament,

Each piece a refuge,

Reminding you that home is created,

By hands and hearts that seek it,

But I never thought I'd see museums in a different light,

Kaleidoscopic dance of lights birthed by stained glasses,

Are a reminder of your eyes I have yet to witness,

The crevices lined by acrylic embracing canvas,

Are a reminder of the walls you've built up,

Protecting and hiding the parts you fear to bring to light,

The same walls that have become murals,

A tribute to your battle scars,

And each attempt to cover with strokes of colors,

Instead of concealing, makes you even more beautiful,

I never thought I'd see museums in a different light,

And I long for the days when I could tell the world, 

That I have found a masterpiece,

That makes my heart beat a little faster, 

And then slower, back and forth, without even getting tired,

You are its calm and its storms,

And though at times, this heart cant seem to figure,

What rhythm it wants to dance to or sing,

There's no place it would rather get confused in,

I never thought I'd see museums in a different light,

And seek a museum I'd keep wanting to visit,

Because I know more works of art are to be uncovered,

As the hidden hallways of your heart are discovered,

A conclave of everything heavenly and pure,

A multitude of hidden doors to adventure, 

Each day with you, an escape,

Each memory with you, a testament,

Each conversation with you, a refuge,

And my hands and heart are eager,

To make my arms your home.

Misadventure of A Hopeless Romantic

He would look at her face every day,

Dumb-founded and in awe,

And each single day,

Every day,

He would find something new,

Something new to admire on,

How can something this breath-taking,

Be the cause of his calm,

He sat still,

Trying his best to fathom,

Whatever it is he is feeling,

Hoping she would be his heart’s final stop.

He would always remember her voice,

How she sounded a little boyish,

But, like magic, in a second,

Would sound like the heavens opened up its gates,

Once she started singing,

And each single day,

Every day,

He'd long for another second,

When her voice would grace his ears,

He would go back to how he felt,

When he first realized,

She's what he wanted,

She's who he was waiting for,

She's her own woman,

And he wants her to realize it,

And each single day,

Everyday,

He discovers it is still there,

That plethora of ineffable emotions,

And he asks,

With an almost bewildered wonder,

He realizes he’s already hoping,

Equivalence Point

I met you at a time,

When I was almost self-destructive,

Almost as reactive as sodium metal,

To even water's tiny hint,

And to any girl I meet,

I was Hydrogen ion in strong acid,

I'd take what I want in a minute,

And then dissociate completely in a blink,

Then everything unfolded slowly,

But at the same time in an instant, ironically,

As if the universe was a lab rat,

Working on titrations and equivalence points,

Every careful twist on the burette,

Were the long conversations we shared,

Every vigorous shakes to the flask,

Were the disagreements we fought through,

And the lookout for the right hint of phenolphthalein,

Was my heart arrested in your yearning,

And I was sure right then,

This color change was permanent,

But no, it was no typical love story,

Where I'd go talk on and on of chemistry,

No, it was no typical love story,

Of sparks, Of hits and misses and feet sweeping,

No it was no typical love story,

Of 'then it hit me's and slow motions and OSTs,

No, it was no typical love story,

Of planned proposals and scenic kneeling,

That's all reserved for cinemas and screens,

I guess I lucked out because ours is real,

You always have felt like a dream,

Comforting yet distant and indistinct,

But now you are real, we are real,

And it is comforting to see,

That the world is a world of chances,

A web of uncalculated events,

And maybe one day,

I get to exhaust the constellations,

And the caged up infinity in your eyes,

Or catch a glimpse of new-born nebulas,

Every time you waver a smile,

And I know I will always be looking on,

In absolute awe and admiration,

No matter how great the distance,

For your very existence,

Is on itself a miracle,

For I know we can buffer anything,

Because you are the perfect conjugate base to my weak acid

SLR (Sorry, Late Reply)

She reminds me of mornings,
Of sunrise and new beginnings,
Of the first sip of coffee,
The warmth that creeps inch by inch,
That momentary heart burn,
Pulling you in for another sip,


She reminds me of sunsets,
Of long walks and sands and beaches,
The sun's graceful goodbye,
As its rays carefully thumbs through the sky,
That melancholic murmur of ocean waves,
Caressing your feet and gripping your chest,
That momentary jolt of shiver to the spine,
Pulling you in, as if whispering; "stay"

She reminds me of novels and books,

Of time travels and misadventures,

Of  metaphor, oxymoron, and simile,

Of saddest lines, of two cities, of two families and odyssey, 

Of words, like skyscrapers, masterfully built,

Taking you places while holding you still,

That momentary arrythmia, holding you prisoner,

Pulling you in convincing you to another page,

She reminds me of hallways,

Of empty eerily quiet hallways,

Where all you can hear is your own heartbeat,

Or your own breathing,

Or your own footsteps,

And maybe hers,

But faintly, at a distance,

Pulling you in for a glance,

She reminds me of the universe,

And all its beauty,

She reminds me of the world,

And all its lunacy,
She reminds me,

And maybe that's all she is, a reminder,

That sometimes beauty can be in all places,

In all places but here.