come, stay and let's talk. it's a good day to be alive
how is it possible this small old lady
lands a mighty blow with her slightest effort?
decades of battle experience is not for naught
a flick of her wrist, a flash of light,
and the weight of a monument crushes down
I thought I would show her and everyone
how much I had grown over the past month
yet in a blink of an eye, I am humbled.
those with decades of experience need not a word
their gestures emanate with proofs.
4.8.2023
I took this photo on the night of August 31st, 2017, just before I moved out of my apartment in Boston, MA.
Two relationships, two jobs, and two roommates passed in this apartment. I shaved my hair on my own in the bathroom of this apartment for the first time. I went back to my religion on my own for the first time. I had a white Turkish Angora cat for the first time in this apartment.
2017 was the year I would have graduated with a degree that I did not want had I chosen to stay safe. This is where I faced the consequences as a result of deciding not to stay safe. I laughed. I cried.
This photo is a reminder that I chose my life.
at first, I noticed a few things missing;
a little bit of food, a few notebooks,
and then a few photos.
I started to wonder if there was a bug;
a bug that gnaws at precious things.
I called an exterminator, but it didn’t stop.
I remembered: whatever you resist persists.
so I invited the bug to be a friend;
besides, there are a few people I call friends
and had spent much more dinners with them
than what I had lost to this bug.
if the bug will take what it will take regardless,
why not get to know the bug while at it?
forgive the ugly part, and move on with goods.
4.7.2023
sometimes, all you need is to stop.
stop and watch:
how the world rolls on its own,
how your body won’t stop breathing,
how your mind does not cease to think.
when all has passed, there is clarity.
and to live wish such clarity
is what rejuvenates our mind.
4.6.2023
Shine like the brightest star at night
dark coldness stings,
but no matter what, shine:
smile, be kind, and love as best as you can
it’s okay if you tumble and fall
it will be brighter tomorrow.
4.5.2023
there is a red string connecting us.
it’s light, thin, but resilient
it stretches and bends,
sometimes it’s hard to see if it is there
but I can feel it is there.
it’s the warm feeling.
I hope that you feel it too.
I believe that you feel it too.
hopefully, this will all work out.
4.4.2023
life is short, in retrospect.
everything changes too,
contrary to expectations & wishes.
as people and places ebbs and webs,
sensing when is the time to let go
and when is the time to get a grip
is a serene balance.
may there be a courage to move forward
with faith in heart
hopefully leading to a peaceful night.
4.3.2023
to know you are truly free is a necessity
more than the boundaries of the body,
it is the boundary of the mind that hinders.
once we try — and fail — we recognize it
every day, we strive to be freer,
to experience who we truly are.
4.2.2023
not all things go your way.
accept the difference
respect the boundaries,
and understand their perspectives.
who knows,
one day it will work out.
4.1.2023
be what you are
let the results fall
you’ve done all what could do
it’s nerve-wrecking
but in the name of love
what can we not do?
so be who you are
and may the world show you what it has
3.31.2023
Ralph with Coffee 
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